When he isn't fulfilling his many duties as president of Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Ky., Terry Allcorn twice each year can be found serving as a security guard at the world's largest diamond and gun shows in Las Vegas, Nevada. . . .
July 5, 2021
The Book wasn’t lost as much as it was neglected and taken for granted—hidden in plain sight. It had been there in the temple all along, but no one was paying attention to it.
May 10, 2021
How will we face the challenges that confront us in the church, in our culture, and in our personal lives?
March 15, 2020
By Vince Antonucci Researchers tell us our identity drives our behavior. We think we make decisions based on a rational analysis of pros and cons. But far more often we make choices based on what James March called the “identity model.” March, a Stanford University professor who died in 2018, said when making a decision we essentially (and mostly subconsciously) ask ourselves three questions: Who am I? What kind of situation is this? What would someone like me do in this situation? What you do is determined by what you think of yourself. Growing up, I was quickly and consistently
May 22, 2019
By Mel McGowan “We did not come to Las Vegas to reshuffle the deck,” says Mike Breaux, the original lead church planter of Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas. The heartbeat of the church remains the same as when it was planted back in 1993. Canyon Ridge doesn’t seek to take from other churches, but instead goes after the unchurched. When major construction was needed on their 40-acre campus, church leaders originally worked with commercial firms rather than hiring an architect. Their intention was to develop a campus devoid of religious symbolism. The resulting unadorned concrete block and tilt-concrete
March 25, 2019
By Vince Antonucci One time after a church service a lady bounced up to me and said, âHey!â I said, âHey!â âMy nameâ™s Sandy,â she said very quickly, âbut not for long it isnâ™t. Iâ™m changing it! Itâ™s been a bad year for SandysâHurricane Sandy, Sandy Hook Elementary.â I nodded, a bit confused. âSo, hey!â Sandy continued, âI just wanted to thank you for keeping it positive.â I asked what she meant. âI went to church a few times growing up, and Iâ™ve gone a couple times as an adult, and I hate it. Hate it!â Sandy said. âYou always
January 29, 2019
Demonstrating the Wild, Open-Hearted Love of God in Las Vegas By Mel McGowan I have been studying a story from the Bible that speaks directly to my heart—the story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. She was getting water, doing chores, going about her day. Then Jesus came to her in the midst of her daily activities. It offers a powerful picture of how the people of God should function as the church—loving people right where they are. We must be the well, inviting people who are going about their daily lives, from all different backgrounds, to come
October 16, 2018
By Vince Antonucci When our kids were younger my wife and I took them to a big waterpark. Our son was 5 and our daughter was almost 3, so we spent the day in the kiddie pools. Each pool had slides and all kinds of fun stuff. We played in one for a while, then walked about 100 yards to a second kiddie pool where we let the kids splash around. We then walked another 100 yards to the next one, where my kids repeatedly slid down one big slide. My wife walked over to the other side of the
October 6, 2018
Niche churches are starting up across the country to satisfy the needs of worshippers who aren’t happy in a traditional setting. Here are some of the more interesting variants we’ve recently heard about: Mighty Oak Christian Fellowship: This service-oriented church focuses on raking and removing leaves for elderly homeowners every fall and delivering garden compost in the spring. It’s a God-centered “circle-of-life” church. The “Big Three” evangelistic outreaches—Christmas, Easter, and Arbor Day. Second Amendment Church of Christ: Don’t miss the weekly potluck dinner (“bring a critter to share”) and midweek target practice. Supreme Bean Christian Church: There are 23.2 baristas
April 13, 2017
Five Christian leaders tell what God did when they took a surprising step of faith. By Vince Antonucci I”ve heard people say faith in a big God allows you to take big risks. I”d say that doesn”t go far enough. Faith doesn”t just allow you to take risks; faith requires that you take risks. In fact, faith IS risk. When I became a Christian, I had a full scholarship to a top law school. I loved law school. The average first-year salary coming out of my law school was $80,000. While attending there, I felt God calling me into the ministry.
July 29, 2016
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
July 18, 2016
By Bart Rendel In the summer of 1985 my life changed forever during the North American Christian Convention in Anaheim, California! For years, my family had attended the convention for inspiration and connection. That summer we made the trek out west to visit family and friends. The convention was the centerpiece of our trip. I was between my 10th and 11th grade in high school. With college in the offing, I was seriously contemplating my life”s direction. How did he want to use me? Where should I focus my education? It was at the convention that I felt the Lord
July 15, 2016
By Matt Proctor “I remember being in the bars at 3 years old with my mother singing in the bands,” says Juliet Rose. Juliet was born into addiction. Her mother drank heavily, and her dad was a drug addict. Her mother married another man when Juliet was 4, and “that”s when monsters became real.” Her new stepdad molested her for the next five years. She always felt alone. “I had no friends, so I quit school in the ninth grade. I had no education, no life skills.” At 16, she fled to Las Vegas, where she survived as a prostitute.
By Joe Boyd We live in a youth-obsessed culture. A quick glance at the way we market and sell products makes that clear. While traditional cultures had a way of honoring their elders, most of us modern Americans tend to struggle with that. This, I would submit, is to our disadvantage. It”s countercultural today in America to honor our elders, yet they hold the wisdom we so desperately need. This was clear to me as I prepared this spring to return to Cincinnati Christian University, my alma mater, to be a commencement speaker. It may be the first time in
December 21, 2015
By Joe Boyd Our culture creates expectations around Christmas. One of the greatest of these is gift giving. When done out of compulsion, giving gifts can become an unhealthy habit. However, when done in love, a gift can change a life. About a dozen years ago my wife, Debbie, gave me the most transformative gift I have ever received. It changed the trajectory of my life (and hers) forever. I”m not setting you up to talk about the birth of my kids here. I am talking about a normal, regular old traditional Christmas gift that changed everything. She had no
December 12, 2015
By Jennifer Johnson Many churches look at summer as a time to coast; attendance is down, staff members are vacationing, and everyone is tempted to take it easy. Not The Crossing Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year the creative arts team developed Art Effect, a seven-week emphasis on the arts tied into senior pastor Shane Philip”s sermon series on the book of Proverbs. From hip-hop music to paintings by children, The Crossing used summer 2015 to stretch its people””and themselves””with new expressions of worship. A Variety of Approaches The Crossing”s creative arts team includes several staff members, including Lee
July 27, 2015
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 Lori Wilhite, founder of leadingandlovingit.com for pastors” wives and women in ministry, and pastor”s wife, Central Christian Church, Las Vegas, Nevada. ________ Julie Richard, senior pastor”s wife at Lake Hills Church, Austin, Texas, is my go-to parenting guru. With practical yet powerful parenting content, she has encouraged me like no other in my family life. Her insight in establishing a vision for
March 1, 2015
By Michael C. Mack There are several key seasons for launching new small groups or classes, says Mark Howell, pastor of communities at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, and founder of SmallGroupResources.net. The end of September/beginning of October is a great time to help new arrivals connect through new groups. The end of January/first part of February is a great time to help New Year”s resolution and “turn-over-a-new-leaf” people take a spiritual next step. Right after Easter is another good time to run a small group connection or launch new groups. Special days like Mother”s Day and
January 1, 2015
At Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, ministry to the broken has become a main focus. The church has started ministries such as Celebrate Recovery, God Behind Bars, People of the Second Chance, and an outreach to female strippers in the city. “My philosophy is if you speak to the broken, you”ll always have an audience,” says senior pastor Jud Wilhite. “I want not only to speak to the broken, but have ministries that reach people at their point of pain and brokenness””and we”re all broken at some level.” Since beginning these ministries for broken people in the community,
August 2, 2014
By Jennifer Johnson When Vince Antonucci prepared to plant a church called Verve in Las Vegas, he thought, Of course we”ll be on the Strip. But when he began researching that area, he discovered there were no other churches there. “I wondered if that was unique to Las Vegas,” he says. “I began looking at the most “˜sinful” neighborhoods and streets in the world””places like the Red Light District in Amsterdam, Bourbon Street in New Orleans, The Sunset Strip in L.A. There are no churches there. But Jesus went to the most sinful places and the most sinful people. He
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