Articles for tag: Marriage

September 26, 2018

Christian Standard

Crosspoint Church Opens Worship Center (Plus News Briefs)

Crosspoint Christian Church in Cape Coral, Fla., celebrated the opening of its 18,000-square-foot worship center on Sunday. The church, which started meeting in a high school in 2006, launched the new facility with a special Instagram photo booth (above) and a food drive, asking members to bring canned food to the church service, according to the Cape Coral Daily Breeze. The food will go to the Cape Coral Caring Center, a local food distribution center. “We know that in our community, there are people every day who don’t know how they are going to feed their children,” lead pastor Jeff

July 17, 2018

Christian Standard

Church Celebrates Long-Married Couples

By Peggy Park It was a golden day in Lexington, Ky., on June 10, as Tates Creek Christian Church celebrated its annual Wedding Bells Sunday with 83 couples who have been married 50 years or longer. One couple, in fact, has been married 75 years. Ladies received white corsages while the men received boutonnieres, and all of the couples had their pictures taken. The couples were also recognized as a group during the worship service. Additionally, senior minister Tommy Simpson recognized the widows and widowers who would have been married 50 years or more. The church administrator and some members

February 11, 2018

Christian Standard

Dennis & Linda Messimer: Five Decades of Ministering Around the World Together

By TR Robertson A lifetime of ministry together has given Dennis and Linda Messimer a rhythm of talking—they often finish each other’s sentences—and a rhythm of serving God together. “Dennis would teach Bible studies and I would teach the kids,” Linda says, describing the arrangement they’ve followed hundreds of times, on three continents. “. . . But once kids came along,” Dennis adds, “Linda wasn’t as involved in the ministry work as she had been earlier.” Since the kids have grown, Linda says, “I’ve done Bible studies with women and he did Bible studies with men. We support each other

February 10, 2018

Christian Standard

Wayne & Greta Meece: Two Country Kids Serving Together for Nearly 60 Years

By Wendie Gabbard “The blessing God gave to both of us was that we grew up country kids.” Those country kids, Greta from Pennsylvania and Wayne from Kentucky, met as sophomores in college. Rules prohibited them from dating without another couple or chaperone present and the understood boundary was “six inches apart.” Even so, they quickly fell in love and married in Greta’s hometown the summer before their junior year. Pennsylvania law allowed marriage at age 21. As both were 20, their parents had to sign for them. Wayne and Greta Meece then returned to Kentucky Christian College, where she

February 9, 2018

Christian Standard

Ben & Pat Merold: Still Having Fun After 68 Years

By Kelly Carr   Ben and Pat Merold—most folks seldom say one of their names without the other, and that’s just fine with them. When they talk, you hear their love for one another, the joy they feel together, and the immense pride they have about the other’s ministry. One could easily declare that Ben and Pat Merold are who we all hope to be when we grow up! Ben and Pat share their story of a lifelong love for serving the Lord and for each other.   Jumping into Ministry The year was 1948. Pat, a freshman at Johnson

February 8, 2018

Christian Standard

Finding Joy in Marriage and Ministry

By David and Rachel Dummitt   For the last 22 years, my wife, Rachel, has been my partner, best friend, and comrade-in-arms. When I was asked to write about experiencing lasting joy in marriage and ministry, I immediately thought of her and how she has helped to build both our home and our church with strength, grace, and joy. So for this issue, I asked Rachel to share her insights and wisdom. When Dave and I married, neither of us could have imagined the journey God had in store for us. While both of us had grown up in the

January 31, 2018

Christian Standard

Love, Marriage, and Missions

Four missionary couples discuss how their marriages affect their mission work, and vice versa. By Emily Drayne Some aspects of marriage are hard. It’s not easy joining together two lives, two families, two personalities, and two upbringings under one roof. Success in marriage takes work and desire. With divorce rates at about 50 percent in America and even higher in parts of Europe, I’ve often wondered how missionaries are affected by this epidemic. Not only are missionary couples working and maintaining their marriages, but they might also be serving in a cross-cultural setting. Some are also raising children. Missionaries might

January 7, 2018

Gary L. Johnson

The Solution to Our Money Problem

By Gary L. Johnson With his transmission, “Houston, we’ve had a problem,” astronaut Jack Swigert rather understatedly signaled to Mission Control on April 14, 1970, that there was an emergency. An explosion onboard the Apollo 13 spacecraft threatened the lives of three astronauts and NASA’s mission to the moon. We must declare that we also have a real problem. A serious one. It involves something that affects all of us—money. Money impacts every person every day, from putting gas in the car to food on the table. Many people struggle with money-related issues. Bills can’t be paid. Budgets go unfunded.

December 16, 2017

Christian Standard

“˜And It Came to Pass in Those Days”

This Christmas essay originally appeared in the December 18/25, 2011, issue of Christian Standard. ___ By John Caldwell I love Christmas! It is without a doubt my favorite season of the year. I like almost everything about it, both secular and spiritual. I enjoy the music, the lights, the decorations, the parties, and the programs. I enjoy the hustle and the bustle, the giving and receiving of gifts. But most of all, I enjoy the Christmas story itself””the fact that God became flesh and dwelt among us; that Jesus is indeed the reason for the season. In our 46 years

November 25, 2017

Christian Standard

The Blessing Freely and Naturally Given

By Dave Stone No one has any say into which family he or she is born. But someday I intend to thank the Lord for the parents he gave to my brother, Jeff, and me. Sam Stone has been known to many by a variety of titles: Preacher, Seminary Dean, Editor, Brotherhood Leader, and North American Christian Convention President. But I”ve been fortunate to just call him Dad. What a blessing! When asked why we chose to go into the ministry, Jeff and I typically give the same response: “Because our dad was the same man in the home as

August 28, 2017

Christian Standard

Lesson for September 3, 2017: The Rainbow (Genesis 8:20-22; 9:8-17)

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 August 27, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  The God of the Bible is a covenant-making God. He makes agreements and contracts (literally “cuts” a deal) with the creation he has made. Our lessons during September will concern some of these covenants (the rainbow, circumcision, the Sabbath, and the Spirit-filled heart). The Hebrew word for covenant, berit, appears 284 times in the Old

June 18, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” New City Church, Phoenix, AZ

By Justin Horey Downtown Phoenix, Arizona, is home to a burgeoning art scene. In the center of it all””on Central Avenue, in fact””is New City Church. Lead pastor Brian Kruckenberg describes New City as “a church in the middle of the city, for the city.” In Phoenix, being “for the city” means reaching the local artists” community. New City”s first building was a house that doubled as an art gallery. New City Church worshipped in the house on Sundays, but it was also used by local artists who stored supplies on site and even taught classes in the building. Kruckenberg

May 20, 2017

Tyler McKenzie

How I Know My Wife Married the Wrong Person

By Tyler McKenzie Today my wife, Lindsay, and I celebrate our five-year anniversary. Five years ago we tied the knot and took the plunge. Five years ago the cutest girl in Indiana was taken off the market! Five years ago we launched the beginning of the rest of our lives. Five years ago . . . And after five years, there”s no more hiding behind the dinner-and-a-movie façade of dating life. I can”t buy enough flowers to conceal it. I can”t open enough doors. I can”t say enough “I love yous.” She knows (and painfully, so do I) that she

May 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Of Manure, Porches, and Good Fights

By Arron Chambers All married couples fight at one time or another. It”s like a pile of manure landing on your front porch. You know what manure is, don”t you? Manure on your front porch is not a good thing. Not at all. It”s a smelly, disgusting, and completely unappealing in every way kind of thing. In my experience as a marriage coach, I”ve come to believe that every married couple will have a pile of “manure” fall onto their “porch” at one time or another. Bad stuff happens to good married couples. And when the unexpected pile of manure

May 18, 2017

Christian Standard

The Isaac Principle

By Victor Knowles Several years ago I was driving west to Denver, Colorado. Somewhere in Kansas, I found a radio station playing a prerecorded sermon by someone whose name I can”t remember. But I have never forgotten his text. “Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well” (Genesis 26:25). There are three nouns in this verse that can forever change the structure of your life. Understanding these simple words can help you determine proper priorities. In fact, the three words can assure you

May 16, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

First Family

By Mark A. Taylor Ministry can be hard on a minister”s family life. The demands of the congregation don”t stop when the church office closes. Needs and opportunities to serve abound in the evenings, threatening to take the minister away from conversations with a spouse or attendance at children”s ballgames and concerts. Phone calls can come night and day. And the minister may feel he has no one to talk to about disappointments and difficulties except a spouse, who then becomes overwhelmed with information and worries that cannot be shared with anyone else. We can be encouraged that 70 percent

May 12, 2017

Christian Standard

A Picture of the Future

By Randy Gariss A sage wryly commented, “All predictions are difficult to make, but especially those about the future.” He is right, of course, but can you imagine the empowerment if we were able to accurately see the future? For example, what if the junior high teen, distraught over his gangly appearance, could only get a glimpse of the composed, mature young adult he would someday be? Wouldn”t that picture diffuse much worthless worry? Or consider the impact a peek into the future could have on the young couple working through that first rough year of marriage””each of them going

April 13, 2017

Christian Standard

My Riskiest Move for God: Kansas? You Want Us to Go to Kansas?

Five Christian leaders tell what God did when they took a surprising step of faith. By Laurie Montague As I sat on the front row ready to take my place as the keynote speaker for the women”s retreat, the director concluded her introduction with these words, “And now, here”s our fearless leader.” Of all the things that could be said of me! I would never describe myself as a “fearless leader.” In fact, at several points in my life, a more accurate description would have included the words “scared silly!” Yet, like many others, I”ve learned that making risky moves for

February 14, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

A Command for Valentine’s Day

By Mark A. Taylor Sweetheart dinners, couples retreats, and sermons about love are all great, as long as they move us beyond the frivolous expressions typical of our culture”s shallow take on deep issues. When it comes to marriage, God has spoken. His command comes three times in Paul”s epistles, twice within a few phrases of each other. “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” Paul tells the Ephesians. “Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies” (5:25-28). To the Colossians, the apostle puts it this way: “Husbands, love

February 13, 2017

Christian Standard

St. Valentine

By Joe Boyd I am pretty good about remembering my wife”s birthday and our anniversary. Christmas is hard to overlook. But Valentine”s Day always sneaks up on me. If you”re like me, your February 14th may involve a frantic stop at the flower shop to overpay for roses and chocolates. The cynics among us like to claim that Hallmark invented these pop-up holidays to sell greeting cards. Our consumer culture undoubtedly pours a massive amount of gas on the Valentine”s Day fire. But is that all this is? Is there a bigger story at play here? (Hint: there is always

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