Articles for tag: Love

January 17, 2013

Christian Standard

Afraid of Change

By Mark A. Taylor Most crucial attributes of the Christian life are more easily discussed than demonstrated. All of us want to be forgiven, for example. But when wronged grievously, most of us struggle to forgive. In the same way, we laud grace, chastity, love, and perseverance. But when faced with another”s failure, our own temptation, a difficult coworker, or an overwhelming trial, how often do we react with something less than the ideal we”ve studied and taught? This disconnect between belief and behavior is universal. Realizing that sanctification is a process and not an event, we need not beat

January 11, 2013

Christian Standard

How Do You Define Your Leadership? Brent Storms

By Brent Storms When I started playing soccer, it was hard to find shin guards that didn”t come up past my knees. I didn”t get very good until about the time my voice changed. I played three years on the varsity team in high school (we were terrible) and four years in college (we were pretty good). I stopped playing in adult leagues a few years ago when most games ended with an injury of some kind. I”ve always been a forward, an offensive player. Of course, every forward loves to score goals, and I”m no exception. But there”s something else

October 18, 2012

Christian Standard

Keeping it Christlike on Facebook

I”ll begin this week”s column with a couple of confessions. Confession One: I spend some time on Facebook every day, probably as much as the average user (20 minutes), and I don”t feel bad about it. After all, one in 13 people on the planet is a Facebook user, and more than half of them, like me, visit the site daily. That figures out to about 270 million others who could make my same confession; it”s a cinch I”m not alone. Confession Two: I plan to vote for Mitt Romney. And once again, with the polls consistently showing an American

September 20, 2012

Christian Standard

Older? Younger? Both Are Good!

By Mark A. Taylor Throughout my ministry at Standard Publishing, I”ve been involved in discussions about how we can reach a younger audience. So it”s no surprise that our decision to move CHRISTIAN STANDARD to a monthly publication from a weekly included our desire to attract younger readers. Our thought was that our new 68-page monthly magazine, about the size and weight of an average issue of Time magazine, would look and feel like other publications many are reading. Regular readers were committed to our 16-page weekly, but most potential readers weren”t buying anything else like it. Not all possible

September 7, 2012

Christian Standard

Despite?

By Jackina Stark Mama died on July 4, 2011. We almost lost her earlier that year when she went to the hospital with pneumonia. Her doctor told us pneumonia isn”t called the old person”s friend for nothing, but she was treated and released to a nursing home, where she could get rehabilitation. That didn”t go well. She had spent too many years trying to breathe, and she was tired of it. We brought her home, and almost daily she told Dad, who took such loving care of her, that she couldn”t do it anymore. Even walking across a room was

August 16, 2012

Christian Standard

Deployed

By Kavan Rogness Several months ago at University Christian Church in Manhattan, Kansas, we came up with an idea to get the church involved in the community. The bulk of the inspiration came from a staff member who attended the February 2011 Preaching and Teaching Conference at Ozark Christian College. There he heard about Vince Antonucci”s book Guerilla Lovers and the “guerilla” assignments Antonucci developed to encourage Christians to get outside their comfort zones and show God”s love through acts of kindness. We decided to challenge our congregation with the idea. The result was a military-themed sermon series called “Deployed” that not

April 20, 2012

Christian Standard

Filtering Criticism

By Jim Dalrymple Leaders face criticism with regularity. Most don”t enjoy the sting. Over time, many are crushed under the weight, like a roof weakened by too much snow. But have you noticed how some handle criticism better than others? As a young leader, my ability to filter criticism has been one of the most difficult things I have had to learn. I am a people-pleaser by default, but I realize as a leader that not everyone is pleased by my decisions and actions. One of the slogans I adopted early in ministry was, “My job isn”t to make you

April 14, 2012

Christian Standard

Forgiveness, Love, and Hope

By Bryce Jessup As a 20-year-old student in Bible college, I heard a sermon about the cross that I will never forget. The preacher told us the x in our English language was but a tilted t from ancient times. He went on to say that the t was one of the early symbols for the cross. His application was memorable. He said, “Isn”t it interesting that when you make a mistake with a typewriter (this was long before the computer age, but some will remember), you correct it by typing over it with a lot of x“s?” In other

March 26, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for April 1, 2012: Jesus Testifies to the Truth (John 18, 19)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Instead of continuing chronologically through the Gospel of John, this week we will consider events leading up to the cross. Then on Easter Sunday, we will study the resurrection. Jesus actually underwent not one trial, but three. Two high priests were involved in the trials (Luke 3:2). The three Synoptic Gospels explain what happened in those trials (Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:66-71). Jesus was taken first to the house of Annas (John 18:13), then to

March 24, 2012

Christian Standard

Unwelcome at the Table

By William Baker   The original Supper of the Lord took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30). Devoted disciples ate with Jesus at this Passover meal. One, however, left before the meal was over. Judas ate the wine-soaked bread Jesus offered him but immediately left to do his dirty deed of informing on Jesus to the temple authorities (John 13:26-30). His pact to help them capture Jesus out of the public eye would be honored that night (Luke 22:1-6). In a few hours, Judas would lead the guard to Jesus and betray him with a kiss of death. Jesus

March 4, 2012

Christian Standard

The Marginalized

By David Soucie They sit quietly in our auditoriums. Numbering in the untold thousands, they border on invisible. Unknown to most, they are the marginalized. Some are new attendees. Because they are naturally reserved, they have not ventured out beyond their pew. Most of the congregation is content to allow them to be a part of their services, but never make the effort to get acquainted. The new people wait for someone to reach out, and remain disappointed. Some have been around for years. Most are introverts, and they have long given up waiting for the extroverts to notice them

January 9, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for Jan. 15, 2012: God Preserves a Remnant (Genesis 42:1″”46:7)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ________ God Preserves a Remnant (Genesis 42:1″”46:7) By Sam E. Stone This month we are highlighting events from the life of Joseph under the general theme, “God”s Protection.” In last week”s lesson we saw Joseph correctly interpret the Pharaoh”s dream and placed “second in command” over the entire land of Egypt. In that capacity he supervised a program to store up the extra grain from the seven years of abundance, then ration it out during the seven years of famine. The

October 21, 2011

Christian Standard

Abba, Father

By Chris Blair I love how God uses our relationships with others to teach us about our relationship with him. There are many examples of this truth in Scripture, but few ring louder to me than Romans 8:14, 15: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” God has privileged our family to model this truth through the adoption

August 6, 2011

Christian Standard

Discovering the Good in the Bad

By Eleanor Daniel   G. K. Chesterton wrote a series of short stories featuring Father Brown, a little priest with amazing discernment and wisdom. He solves crimes and other puzzling situations easily. He dispenses wisdom freely. These are fascinating stories. In “Father Brown”s Secret,” the cleric explains how he solves the mysteries that regularly come his way. The priest says he imagines himself as the perpetrator of the crime””and that reveals the solution. When someone in the story objected that he could not carry out such evil, the priest observes that no man can know how good he can be

July 22, 2011

Christian Standard

Faith, Liberty, and Love in the Holy Spirit

By Gary Holloway “In matters of faith, unity; in matters of opinion, liberty; in all things, love.” This is one of the most powerful statements in Christian history. It has been an influential statement for those of us who have a heritage in the American Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. But in my experience, we have often argued and divided over matters of opinion. One problem is that what some consider opinion, others consider a matter of faith. It must have been the same in Paul”s time. In writing to the Romans, he talks about these disputable matters in Romans 13:8″”15:7. The

March 18, 2011

Christian Standard

Thinking About Hell?

With all the current flap about Rob Bell”s new book, Love Wins, perhaps you”d like to read again what CHRISTIAN STANDARD writers have said about Hell, universalism, and God”s wrath. Here are links to four helpful articles: How Could a Loving God Send Anyone to Hell? By Jeff Vines The Wide Road Is Still the Wrong Road By David Faust What Should We Believe About Hell? By Glen Elliott In Praise of Wrath By Tom Lawson

February 8, 2011

Christian Standard

Free for All

By Jennifer Taylor Each year, thousands of people in the Peoria, Arizona, area experience the death of a family member””but only 13 percent attend any kind of church. Christ”s Church of the Valley extends the love of Christ by providing funerals for these unchurched people””at no cost to grieving families. CCV senior pastor Don Wilson began the program and lead neighborhood pastor Bob Fesmire leads it. “For many people, a death is their first experience with church, and it can involve a lot of expenses,” Fesmire says. “We have space dedicated to the services and provide the pastor, the music,

August 18, 2010

Christian Standard

Breathtaking Servanthood

By Wynne Gillis It was a new church in a midsized Montana city””a seeker”s church””dedicated to taking the gospel to outsiders who have never heard it or who are not even sure they want to hear it. Like many such churches, it was meeting in temporary quarters””a school auditorium or a vacant storefront. But as it grew and strained the capacity of its meeting place, the church dreamed of a building all its own. A good deal of money had been carefully saved and dedicated toward that end. Then the community around the church got into a big fight. Most

August 8, 2010

Christian Standard

Dying to Self

By Nicholas Schonlau Since I became a follower of Christ, I”ve been enthralled with what it means to follow him. One of my favorite passages on this subject is, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). That has always been the challenge, for me and for many other Christians I”ve known over the years. What does it mean to deny myself? It means I must die. I think back to when I was buried with Christ through baptism. According to Paul, I died that day and

April 11, 2010

Christian Standard

Megachurches: The First 100 Days

By Kent Fillinger In business and in politics, much is made of a leader”s first 100 days in a new role. With 25 years of ministry experience, Gene Appel had a plan as he transitioned from Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago to Eastside Christian Church in Southern California on October 1, 2008. Appel”s plan was simple: focus on getting to know his new staff, their strengths, and the key influencers in the church; preach well; and prepare for a fantastic Christmas. Catalytic Appel really wanted Eastside”s Christmas services to be a catalytic energizer for the church. In those

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