Articles for tag: Joplin

May 5, 2017

Christian Standard

The Unexpected Place Setting

By Randy Gariss It must have seemed an odd table. David was king of Israel, and when he sat down to eat he had his family and his sons. As king, he naturally would have included some friends and perhaps a favorite servant or two. And also a crippled man by the name of Mephibosheth. The backstory has all the human interest we can handle. Years before, Saul had been the king and he had made the young David”s life miserable””repeatedly attempting to cut it short! Saul”s despotic life and desperate panic were all an ill-fated attempt to keep David,

April 3, 2017

Christian Standard

Lesson for April 9, 2017: Saving Love (John 3:1-21)

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 the April 2, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  This famous text contains the teachings of Jesus, the questions of Nicodemus, and the saving love of God. This late-night conversation between Jesus and this Pharisee led to a bright sunrise of teaching concerning saving love. Birth | John 3:1-5 In each section of our text there is a rhetorical device (verses 3, 5, and 11).

February 27, 2017

Christian Standard

Lesson for March 5, 2017: Perfect Love (1 John 4:7-19)

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 the February 26, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  God”s primary identity must become our primary activity. That identity and activity in a word is love. A loving God was all but unheard of in ancient Greece. The false gods they believed in were often more immoral than humans and had to be appeased””not embraced due to their love. But in a stunning statement

February 20, 2017

Christian Standard

Lesson for February 26, 2017: Christ Creates Holy Living (Galatians 5:18″“6:10)

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 the February 19, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  Jesus taught that good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit (Matthew 7:18). Christian freedom allows believers to bear fruit like healthy bushes and trees. Christians are to live in moral excellence. But this is not so we can look at others with moral smugness, but rather so we can serve others

February 1, 2017

Christian Standard

Ozark Christian College to Celebrate 75th Anniversary

Nationally known speakers and hundreds of alumni and friends will converge on the campus of Ozark Christian College in February as the college honors its 75th anniversary. OCC”s annual Preaching-Teaching Convention will take place Feb. 20″“22 on its campus in Joplin, MO. This year”s convention, “A Jesus People,” welcomes best-selling authors and Ozark grads Kyle Idleman and Jon Weece, as well as the college”s former president, Ken Idleman, among many others. The convention begins Monday evening and includes a special 75th anniversary celebration at the annual President”s Banquet on Wednesday. The convention also offers events for college alumni, networking lunches,

August 12, 2016

Christian Standard

Crying for Calvary

By Victor Knowles In 1983, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation establishing the first National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. (It will be observed next on Jan. 15, 2017.) This day calls attention to the cause of the unborn and to the precious gift of life itself. Life is a sacred gift from God, but it was not considered so in the time of Christ. The Anglican priest and poet G. A. Studdert-Kennedy (1883″“1929) writes in his famous poem “Indifference”: When Jesus came to Golgotha they hanged Him on a tree, They drave great nails through hands and feet, and

May 13, 2016

Christian Standard

Crowded Tables

By Tom Lawson One thing Americans traveling in the United Kingdom will notice almost immediately involves what people call “personal space.” Houses are smaller. Automobiles are smaller. City streets are smaller. People simply live closer together. Nowhere is this more evident, or more awkward, than when eating lunch in a sidewalk cafe or British pub. Do not expect to eat alone. Even if you are by yourself, you will not be eating alone. The American custom of devoting an entire table to a group, or even a single person, is simply ignored. If there are empty places, don”t be surprised

March 21, 2016

Christian Standard

Putting Life Back in the Community

By Jennifer Johnson For more than 125 years, the house at 516 N. Wall Ave. in Joplin, MO, has reached local residents for Christ””as a private home, as the first campus of Ozark Christian College, and later as the home of North Joplin Christian Church. Today, this historic building continues to facilitate ministry as the Neighborhood Life House, a nonprofit organization that builds relationships with community members and shares the love of Jesus through a variety of programs for children and families. “A group of us at College Heights Christian Church had been working with a ministry to an apartment

November 27, 2015

Christian Standard

The Cardboard Lamb

By Victor Knowles When I was a little boy my parents bought a Christmas manger set. On the box were these words: “The Christmas story in beautiful cutout scenes and lifelike figures . . . It tells the Christmas story . . . Fascinates young and old.” I remember how special it was to assemble the cardboard set on Christmas Eve. I would lie on the living room floor, face in hands, and gaze at those familiar figures for hours. In the background was the little town of Bethlehem. To the left were the shepherds, with one little “adoring child”

October 26, 2015

Christian Standard

Our Reading Group

By Chad Ragsdale Life can get busy. Correction, life is busy. It is often the principal description we give for our lives. How are we? We”re busy. And our persistent busyness stunts our spiritual and personal growth. Growth simply demands too much of our time. And, let”s face it, in our culture many of the things that best lead to growth are typically treated as merely “recreational” or diversionary in nature. Important disciplines like Sabbath, study, and meditation are regarded as luxuries (“if you have the time for such things”), much like a day at the golf course or the

July 23, 2015

Christian Standard

Mark Scott’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Mark Scott, professor of preaching and ministry, Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. ________ As tempting as it is to name the five members of my family (wife and four children), I will name and give commentary to five thought leaders. Two are older and have mentored me. One is a peer and has walked alongside of me. Two are younger and

October 26, 2014

Christian Standard

Books for Bible Students: Bible Teachers CAN Be Better Teachers

By Teresa Welch Whether you are a seasoned teacher or just starting to host a small group, I recommend the following resources for help with guiding students toward maturity in Christ (see Colossians 1:28): Heart-Deep Teaching by Gary Newton (B&H Academic, 2012) is a resource for teachers concerned about the lack of biblical knowledge and understanding among adults. Newton trains teachers about the process of learning so they can engage students to discover and obey God”s Word. His book is filled with practical ideas for preparing the heart of the teacher, designing deeper learning experiences, and structuring Bible lessons. Effective

July 18, 2014

Christian Standard

The Desire of My Heart

By Sam E. Stone (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) As a student at Ozark Bible College in the 1950s, I was facing the typical decisions of a college student: What will I do with my life? Where will I serve? Who is the right person to marry? That last question was really big! I was talking about it with Gerald Bowlin, a missionary friend from Mexico, when he was in Joplin for the National Missionary Convention. He said, “Sam, let me give you a verse of Scripture.” Then he turned to Psalm 37:4, “Take

June 25, 2014

Christian Standard

“˜. . . And He Was a Man of Prayer”

By Randy Gariss It is easy to forget and neglect the main thing””it happens all the time. Sometimes it results in tragedy. Drivers should drive and not text. Train engineers should remain awake and not fall asleep. Babysitters should watch children and not TV. And elders should be men of prayer. Even a casual reading of Scripture clearly demonstrates the place prayer is to play in a leader”s life. Consider:   Samuel the prophet “¢ He told the Jewish people, “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you” (1 Samuel

December 6, 2012

Christian Standard

Documentary Film about Joplin Tornado Premieres

On Nov. 19, College Heights Christian Church (Joplin, MO) hosted the premiere of Steadfast, a full-length documentary about the May 2011 Joplin tornado and the response of local churches. Gregory Fish, an Ozark Christian College graduate, directed the film, and 50 percent of the profits go to rebuilding efforts in Joplin. Watch the trailer and learn more at www.steadfastdocumentary.com.

October 9, 2012

Christian Standard

When Faith Is a Struggle: Find This Book and Read It! (Part 3)

By Randy Gariss   Disappointment with God Philip Yancey Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988 Reaching for the Invisible God Philip Yancey Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000  A Skeptic”s Guide to Faith (previously titled Rumors of Another World) Philip Yancey Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009 Struggling with faith? Keep Philip Yancey”s works close. In my opinion, you can never go wrong by recommending a Philip Yancey book. From the mid-1970s, his writings have made a dramatic mark on the Christian landscape with more than 15 million of his books currently in circulation. His writings are varied, but the genius of his work probably has to

March 8, 2012

Christian Standard

IDES Working to Help Tornado Victims

International Disaster Emergency Service (IDES) is working with churches around the country to help victims of last week”s tornadoes. “We are encouraging Christian churches and churches of Christ to hold a moment of prayer this coming Sunday to pray for the victims and the volunteers and to take up a love offering for IDES,” the ministry shares. Make donations online or mail checks/money orders marked “U.S. Disasters” to P.O. Box 60, Kempton, IN 46049-0060. In southern Indiana, IDES will be setting up a base camp to help with disaster relief. Although it does not yet know if it will be

January 19, 2012

Christian Standard

Global Gospel Sets Out to Bridge Language Barriers

By Jennifer Taylor  “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10:14). Good News Productions, International (Joplin, MO), has created a new way to reach the many people groups who have not yet heard about Christ because they do not have access to the Bible or cannot read. This fall it launched The Global Gospel, a three-disc illustrated DVD storybook and dramatic reading of the Gospels. “The Global Gospel series was created to be easily adapted for use around the world,” shares GNPI. “The project can be shared with people in nearly every tongue,

January 5, 2012

Christian Standard

Dozens Baptized after Bible Seminars at Prisons

By Jennifer Taylor Joe Garman, president of ARM Prison Outreach International (Joplin, MO), writes with news of baptisms and Bible learning: In October we experienced two events that had never happened in our years of prison ministry in the U.S. First, I presented a three-day “See Through the Scriptures” seminar at a prison in Pecos, TX that holds 2,500 male prisoners. Hundreds of men attended, including one who served as my interpreter, and following the seminar 51 prisoners were baptized (including the interpreter!). This is the most baptisms we”ve ever had at the end of a program, and the chap-

September 28, 2011

Christian Standard

‘Time’ Columnist Visits Joplin Church

Joe Klein, Time magazine”s political columnist, devoted Sunday”s column to reflections on a day worshipping and serving with College Heights Christian Church (Joplin, MO). He writes, “The message was simple, powerful . . . but not nearly as powerful as the sight of people of all ages, wearing white t-shirts, gathering up into work teams and spreading out around town to help people who were still suffering from the ravages of the tornado and others who were just suffering because they were poor or infirm or elderly.” The piece, part of the “Joe Klein”s Road Trip” series, is affirming of

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