Articles for tag: Marriage

January 23, 2017

Christian Standard

Redefining Success

By Alan Ahlgrim In Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, Kent and Barbara Hughes begin with Kent”s angry lament: “Most people I know in the ministry are unhappy. . . . They are failures in their own eyes. Mine as well. Why should I expect God to bless me when it appears He hasn”t blessed them? Am I so ego-centered to think He loves me more?” Success . . . and Disappointment We live in a success-obsessed culture. No one hopes to one day be a colossal failure; we all dream of achievement. That”s not a bad thing. God created

December 6, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

We Have This Moment

By Mark A. Taylor Because we are trapped in time, always we are challenged to keep in balance the reality of the past, the present, and the future. But throughout life, one of these tends to dominate the other two. For example, both toddlers and young teens are consumed by the present. The 14-year-old verbalizes what the 2-year-old can only demonstrate: “The world is about me. Everyone”s looking at me, and every need I have is supremely important.” By age 22 or 24, many of these difficult people have become ambitious and concerned about establishing themselves in a world full

September 9, 2016

Christian Standard

What”s to Love About ‘Fixer Upper’

By Lauren Hansen If you”re like me, you could watch Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV”s home renovation hit Fixer Upper, do just about anything. I”d be entertained watching them watch paint dry. They”re good at their work and enjoy doing it. And, perhaps even more appealing, they honor each other and laugh a lot while working together. They include their kids in projects. They”re champions for their hometown of Waco, Texas. They must”ve boosted business for every carpenter, graphic designer, and antique mall within a 40-mile radius. They”re fun, entertaining, admirable people who seem to have a pretty

August 2, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Beyond Fear

By Mark A. Taylor Gene Appel spoke of fear at Eastside Christian Church (Anaheim, California) July 10. This was the first Sunday after two black men, one in Louisiana and another in Minnesota, were shot by white police officers and later in the same week five officers were killed by a black sniper after a peaceful rally in Dallas, Texas. These tragedies were on everyone”s mind that week, along with the continual staccato of news about global terrorism and political upheaval. “When the disciples huddled in secret after Christ”s crucifixion, they were afraid, too,” Appel said. And then he introduced

August 1, 2016

Christian Standard

The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard (13)

By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. SHAWN GRANT Shawn Grant is a walking cliché: born on Saturday, in church on Sunday. His father, Mike Grant, has been preaching in Stone-Campbell churches for more than 35 years, and Shawn decided to follow suit. He became a follower of Christ in elementary school. He received a BA in preaching and Bible from Florida Christian College (now Johnson University Florida), an MA in church history/historical theology from Lincoln (Illinois) Christian Seminary, and a PhD in interdisciplinary humanities

July 29, 2016

Christian Standard

Better Than a Lesbian Lifestyle

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 22, 2016

Christian Standard

Jesus Found Me!

By Ruth T. Reyes She was a child prodigy leaving her homeland to follow a dream of being a concert pianist. She had lived a charmed life, performing on television and concert halls for government dignitaries and a first lady. Now she was armed with a scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School. It was a kind of fairy-tale story, one thousands of aspiring musicians would wish for””and it actually happened to me. On my way to America, my thoughts turned to Little Jimmy Taylor”s gospel chorus “Dear Jesus Abide with Me,” which my mom would sing with me when I

July 22, 2016

Christian Standard

Carrying to Completion

By Earl Winfrey I can”t remember a time when church was not part of my life. I was baptized into Christ at 12 and felt the call to ministry and started pursuing a deeper knowledge of the Bible at the age of 14. Unfortunately, I got mixed up with the wrong crowd during my senior year of high school. I got married two weeks after graduation, and we had our baby five months after the wedding. For the first year and a half, I lived in denial, thinking my marriage was good. Then one day I woke up to find

July 14, 2016

Christian Standard

Transformed by God”s Grace

By Pat Magness The before and after photographs probably wouldn”t look that different. Both pictures would show a handsome, tall, athletic young man with a big smile. Unlike the transformation depicted in before and after pictures for a weight loss promo or exercise video, this transformation was not in looks, but in attitudes and actions. When I knew him “before,” he was self-absorbed, careless with the feelings of others. Some might have called him arrogant, and while he was never lazy, he often looked for the easy way. Perhaps most disturbing, he treated his sweetheart of a girlfriend with a

July 6, 2016

Christian Standard

Ministry Success

By Jim Tune “I experienced success in ministry,” the speaker said, “but it wasn”t worth it.” I was attending a church planting conference. The speaker had served as pastor and as a leader of two national church planting networks. He had written books. At one point, he worked 364 days a year. (He took most of Christmas off.) This guy is, and was, a big deal. In hindsight, he said, it wasn”t worth it. He wanted us to learn from his mistakes. In the years I”ve served as pastor and leader, I”ve seen many rise to the top. They are

May 5, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Reconnect, Reignite, and Resurrect Marriages

By Michael C. Mack “Marriage should be honored by all” (Hebrews 13:4). May is National Date Your Mate Month. Use this month strategically to promote and support strong marriages. The possibilities for your plans are as bountiful as your imagination and an Internet search on Christian marriage ministry ideas! For example, offer a special marriage workshop, providing a meal, music, and child care. Or provide free child care at the church building so couples can plan their own romantic date night. North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, offers quarterly date nights called MarriedLife. The purpose is to “help people

January 29, 2016

Christian Standard

Contraception? One View

By Jack Cottrell This is one of four views of contraception written by Bible college professors. Other views are written by Phil Kenneson, Mark Weedman, and Robert Pate. Is it moral for a married couple to use contraceptive devices to prevent pregnancy? By contraception we mean the prevention of conception, which is the fertilization of the ovum by the sperm. We do NOT mean the prevention of the implantation of a fertilized ovum””a newly formed baby””in the wall of the womb. This clarification is important because some so-called “contraceptives” do not necessarily prevent conception. Rather, they can allow the new baby to form, but then

October 14, 2015

Christian Standard

Sister Ships

By Jim Tune In Tomas Tranströmer”s poem “The Blue House,” the narrator is a man standing in the woods near his house. When he looks at his house from this vantage point, he observes that it”s as if he”d just died and he now “saw the house from a new angle.” It”s a haunting image””that just-dead man among the trees””and it”s an instructive one too. Sometimes something has to die before we can see from a new angle. This is the posture Tranströmer”s narrator assumes, at once able to see his life for what it”s been while also acknowledging the

September 5, 2015

Christian Standard

How Millennials View Work

By Gary Zustiak Did you hear about the young college graduate who was interviewing for his first job? When the HR director asked him what he was looking for, the young man explained that he wished to start at a salary of $100K, be placed in a corner office, and have his own secretary. The HR guy responded by offering to add a matching dollar for dollar to his 401K as well an automobile of his choice, preferably a BMW. He looked at the young man and asked how that sounded. He replied, “Are you kidding me?” The HR guy

August 30, 2015

Christian Standard

Will Marriage Be Declared Unconstitutional?

By T.R. Robertson The idea seems unthinkable. But same-sex couples aren”t the only ones saying marriage laws have discriminated against them. How will the church react if the government redefines marriage altogether? The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity. By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected than others, the federal statute is in violation of the Fifth Amendment. Those are the words of Justice

August 28, 2015

Michael C. Mack

Make Your Marriage Ministry Proactive

By Michael C. Mack How is your church helping married couples before they get into crisis mode? Lindy Lowry, founder of MarriedPeople (www.marriedpeople.org), says she”s found that while every church spends time and resources on helping marriages, efforts are mainly reactive rather than proactive (see the chart of her findings). Lowry has found five steps beneficial in developing a proactive marriage ministry: 1. Begin with the end in mind. What is the purpose of marriage? To reflect the relationship between Christ and his church (Ephesians 5:32). The purpose of your strategy should match that. 2. Empower and equip leaders. In

August 7, 2015

Christian Standard

Father Figures

I”m in the ranks of all fathers learning about fathering on the job. But I”m also a part of the church that must find ways to help solve the father crisis in so many families today.  By Jack Holland “You know, this is really going to change your life.” How many times I heard these words. Our first child was on the way. I was going to be a father. Was that phrase intended to end with an exclamation point or a question mark? I”m sure they meant well, but did even good friends question my capacity to be a

August 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Stay

By Jim Tune The great myth of this generation is that you can love Jesus but not the church, that Christ can be separated from his bride. Having served the same congregation for 15 years, I have seen a lot of people come and go. Some leave other churches to come to ours, and some leave our church to attend another. Others leave church and the faith entirely, or think they can follow Jesus without assembling with his people. Some leave because they”re under the false impression that Jesus” people down the street would be better people to follow Jesus

July 7, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Still Painful

By Mark A. Taylor All the news about conservative churches and their response to those with same-sex attraction reminded me of a post I wrote three years ago. That week I challenged  the church to demonstrate both grace and truth as we discuss this difficult issue and reach out to those celebrating and seeking gay marriage. Follow the links in the below post to even older posts, and you’ll see a constant message urging us to find ways to show gays that Jesus loves them. More than once in recent years, CHRISTIAN STANDARD has advocated for compassion toward homosexuals. We

May 23, 2015

Michael C. Mack

Get More People Involved in Your Group(s)

By Michael C. Mack A huddle of small group and discipleship ministers in the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana region discussed how to get more people involved in disciple-making groups. Here are 12 of their ideas. Many of these work well in combination with others. 1. Build a culture of authentic community in smaller groups in the church. Of course, the preaching minister/lead minister is in the best position to build this culture. Consistently mentioning in his messages how his group has helped him or made an impact on others sends the clear message that groups are important. 2. Redefine “normal.” In everything you

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