Articles for tag: LeRoy Lawson

August 10, 2008

Christian Standard

Where the Administrative Buck Stops

By LeRoy Lawson “Oh, we”re all equal. It”s just that Roy is more equal than we are.” That was how Rex Dernovich described the relationship between elders and senior minister in Central Christian Church. The ministers at the Phoenix-area meeting might have thought he was joking, but he wasn”t. The elder chairman”s quip goes to the heart of what attracted me to accept Central”s call in 1979. The eldership had carefully thought through the leadership issue that rips apart too many churches, and decided they needed a minister who, as they said, can “lead us to become the flagship church

June 8, 2008

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Beyond Normal

By LeRoy Lawson Today”s preacher has to be able to do much more than talk. He is not unlike an orchestra conductor creating beautiful sermonic music, pointing now to the lighting technicians, waving at the sound man, calling in the computer operator, relying on the prep work of the graphics personnel and creative artists, and weaving in TV and movie clips to present a harmonious worship experience that inspires the congregation and, it is hoped, pleases God. It is not now as it was in days of yore. We had then, instead, to rely on words: uttered, quoted, organized, explained,

May 4, 2008

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Looking for God

By Leroy Lawson The Best American Spiritual Writing 2007, ed. Philip Zaleski (Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007). The title raises several questions, doesn”t it? What exactly is “spiritual” writing? How do you decide what”s the best? And who is qualified to say? Philip Zaleski”s anthology doesn”t answer. The literary range is wide: essays, poetry, meditations, biographies. The sources are varied: Buddhism, Christianity, atheism, New Age, Islam, and to be determined. The quality is, as you would expect, uneven. But the reader who perseveres to the end will be rewarded, for there, in the penultimate selection, is Garry Wills objecting

January 15, 2006

Christian Standard

Face Time With God

By LeRoy Lawson There”s no doubt about it. When we pray, honesty is the best policy, even though our truthfulness will probably not sound very spiritual. Do we dare, in the presence of God, to utter our sullied thoughts, to strip off our masks of propriety? What will God think if we “let it all hang out”? When Eugene Peterson teaches people to pray, he challenges them to pray the Psalms. Then he waits for the shock to hit them. “Did you think these would be the prayers of nice people?” he asks. “Did you think the psalmists” language would

July 10, 2005

LeRoy Lawson

Druthers for the Church

Reflections of Two Vagabonds (Part 2)

After a 20-month RV tour across America, LeRoy Lawson shares several “druthers” for the church—hopes for growth in leadership, worship practices, ethnic outreach, missions giving, and Scripture-centered preaching and teaching.

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link