Articles for tag: Jon Wren

November 5, 2019

Christian Standard

Armistice

By Jon Wren For 101 years, every November 11 has been acknowledged worldwide in some way. It is known as Veterans Day in the United States, but was originally known as Armistice Day; the Armistice ended the Great War, now known as the First World War, in 1918. That global struggle lasted more than four years and resulted in millions of deaths. When the warring powers finally agreed to cease hostilities at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the world breathed a sigh of relief and hoped for a real and lasting peace. That peace,

October 1, 2019

Christian Standard

Yom Kippur: Fulfilled in Jesus

By Jon Wren Beginning this Tuesday evening [October 8, 2019], over a period of the next 24-plus hours, Jews around the world will observe Yom Kippur. The holiday has its origins in Leviticus, where God instructed the Israelites to observe a “day of atonement,” which served to remind the people that sin separates them from God, and they cannot atone for it on their own. Over many centuries, the Jewish people have developed traditions and customs for observing Yom Kippur, and many of them come directly from Leviticus 16. One custom came from the instructions God gave the high priest

September 24, 2019

Christian Standard

Happy New Year!

By Jon Wren Tonight [September 29, 2019] marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah literally means a “day of shouting or blasting of horns” by the priests. The year begins anew, and according to Jewish tradition, over the next 10 days, the people’s deeds are examined and weighed by God. The culmination of the 10-day observance is Yom Kippur. Historically, on that final day, the sinful deeds of the people were symbolically placed on a literal “scapegoat” that would be sacrificed by the priests so the sins of the past year would be

August 27, 2019

Christian Standard

The Meaning of Our Labor

By Jon Wren Many of us enjoy an extra day off and spend time with family and friends on Labor Day weekend. This uniquely American holiday was created in the 19th century to honor American workers by giving them a well-deserved day off. Though the holiday has become more a celebration of summer’s end than a day to mark progress by the labor movement, it still is a day enjoyed by nearly everyone. Scripture says God gave us work as a gift, not a curse. Before sin entered the world, God placed humans in the Garden of Eden to “work

July 30, 2019

Christian Standard

On-Time Delivery

By Jon Wren Several years ago, an independent study conducted by a British research firm determined that the most efficient organization in the world was the United State Postal Service. The study found that on average, a typical Postal Service employee handles more than 268,000 pieces of a mail a year. That total amounts to almost 765 packages and letters every day! Yet despite its legendary efficiency, the typical post office still doesn’t deliver all of the mail on time . . . or sometimes at all! A 2018 report found that only 93.8 percent of all first-class mail was

July 23, 2019

Christian Standard

Help the Fish

By Jon Wren One Sunday in Texas, when legendary General Sam Houston attended a service at a small country church, he decided to place his faith in Christ. After the service, the pastor and congregation walked with Houston to a nearby creek for his baptism. As the pastor led Houston into the water, the church began to sing a hymn to thank God for his mercy. After the song, the pastor took Houston’s confession, then leaned him into the water and back out again, baptizing the general into Christ. As the crowd began to clap and cheer, the pastor proclaimed,

June 18, 2019

Christian Standard

A Reminder We Need

By Jon Wren Larry David is one of the most successful comic writers ever. The creator of TV’s Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm is a household name. Yet several years ago, in a profile in Rolling Stone magazine, a friend shared a poignant story about David’s trip to a baseball game. One night during his stay (in New York), David went to Yankee Stadium to see a game. His image went up on the big screen as Curb Your Enthusiasm’s theme song played over the big speakers. An entire stadium of fans stood and cheered for the hopeless case from

May 28, 2019

Christian Standard

More Than Enough

By Jon Wren Many Christ followers observe Communion as a reminder of God’s grace and goodness and as a gift we receive rather than a prize we must earn. But for many Christians and churches, the desire to show others God’s goodness in action can drift into a need to show others our own goodness. And if we are not careful, we can begin to drift toward a well-intentioned but incredibly destructive life in which we are consumed by the need to be busy or at least seem busy on behalf of Christ. Christian author Barbara Brown Taylor wrote of

May 7, 2019

Christian Standard

Marcus: Choosing to Love

By Jon Wren Nobody came to his first birthday party. He spent it alone in a wing designed for medically fragile infants in a hospital room in Northern Indiana. Marcus was born 3 months premature, weighing 1 pound, to a heroin-addicted mother who left him at the hospital as an orphan. He suffered from multiple medical complications, could not breathe on his own, and wasn’t expected to ever learn how to talk. Truth be told, doctors didn’t expect Marcus to live to see his 2nd birthday. But not long after, Marcus had a visitor, a 56-year-old nurse named Kelly. She

July 24, 2018

Christian Standard

Celebrating the Victory

By Jon Wren Good sportsmanship is one of the values we try to foster in our kids. From the time they start playing Little League, we encourage them to shake hands after a game. We talk about the virtue of humility when they win and being gracious when they lose. This value is so ingrained in our culture that many professional sports leagues penalize players who display poor sportsmanship, taunt the other team, or celebrate excessively after scoring. Good sportsmanship, in many ways, is an important character trait and value to live up to. Yet, according to the apostle Paul,

July 17, 2018

Christian Standard

No More Avoiding

By Jon Wren In his later years, the playwright and poet Oscar Wilde lived in Paris, France. Wilde enjoyed life in Paris with one major exception . . . the recently constructed Eiffel Tower. Wilde considered the tower an eyesore and tried to avoid it at all costs. And yet, due to the tower’s height and central location, no matter where Wilde went, the tower was always in view. This especially annoyed him at lunchtime: He would constantly find himself sitting outside and having to look at the tower while he ate. Finally, after months of unsuccessful searching for a

July 10, 2018

Christian Standard

A Meal That Reminds Us

By Jon Wren In the last chapter of John’s Gospel, Peter and John, among other disciples, encountered the resurrected Jesus early in the morning on a beach at the Sea of Galilee. Their meeting with him was the culmination of what surely had been a strange and confusing period of time. After spending years following Jesus through small villages and large cities, watching him heal the sick and the demon-possessed, hearing him teach and preach, and even watching him die on the cross, these disciples were sitting with Jesus on a quiet beach . . . and the Lord had

July 3, 2018

Christian Standard

A Life in Contrast

By Jon Wren Several years ago in Maine, authorities arrested a 47-year-old man after catching him stealing food and supplies from a local camp. Upon investigating, it was discovered the man had a much more complicated and interesting story than originally suspected. Specifically, authorities learned the man had spent 27 years living in the woods in total seclusion, detached from all human contact. The “North Pond Hermit,” as he was called, sustained himself for almost three decades by breaking into and stealing from local campsites, restaurants, and businesses. His entire existence had centered around isolation and theft. Can you imagine

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