May 22, 2023
A New Meaning to an Old Memorial
Who would claim that a national holiday would henceforth be all about him? . . .
Articles for tag: Nancy Karpenske
July 29, 2016
Bless the Hands
By Nancy Karpenske When my family gathers at the dinner table, it is common for the designated prayer person to pray, “Lord, thank you for the hands that prepared this meal.” Those would be my hands they are talking about. Sometimes fixing dinner has taken hours, chopping, mixing, stirring, grating. Occasionally my hands smell like the onion I chopped, or they are scratched from picking raspberries. But quite often my hands have merely pushed the buttons on the microwave or flipped the switch on the Crock-Pot in order to produce a satisfying meal. I like to cook and bake. But
July 22, 2016
Don”t Look Away
By Nancy Karpenske You probably know someone who can”t stand the sight of blood””the man who considered becoming an emergency medical technician but couldn”t deal with the blood, the mom who nearly passes out while washing off her child”s bloody knee, the friend who avoids any movie with gory scenes. Blood can make us extremely uncomfortable. But the death of Jesus, horrifically bloody, is the centerpiece of our salvation. We can”t afford to close our eyes or look the other way. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed
July 15, 2016
Bring It to the Table
By Nancy Karpenske “Bring it to the table.” You might hear the phrase in any one of several settings. A project manager where you work might say, “Bring it to the table.” He means you have an idea or a concern that should be examined and discussed. Until a problem is “brought to the table,” it can”t be solved. The Lord”s table is a safe place. You can bring your messiness and brokenness. You can bring your problems and worries. One of the most comforting descriptions of Jesus (although originally offered as a criticism) was, “He eats with sinners.” Sometimes
Empty/Full
By Nancy Karpenske A cup, a gas tank, a bank account, a house, even a heart can be described as empty. Typically when something is empty, the implication is it”s not worth very much, or it is waiting to be filled. Philippians 2:7 says Jesus emptied himself of godly power. He emptied himself of godly glory. The Message says, “He set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave.” That emptying process looked like this: He humbled himself, he showed up on earth as a human, he accepted the role of a servant, he obeyed
July 1, 2016
Come Clean
By Nancy Karpenske The notion of “coming clean” implies a person is concealing something, not being completely honest. Coming clean is connected to guilt and shame. If someone stares you down and says, “Time to come clean,” it probably isn”t a request to wash up before sitting down at the dinner table. God invites us to dinner at his table. We have a standing invitation. Communion is a moment when we are invited to come closer to God. The bread and the juice, symbols of Jesus” torture and death, remind us in a vivid way that we have already been
More Than Medicine
By Nancy Karpenske One little typing error. Instead of Communion meditation, if you hit one wrong key, you type Communion medication. Medication: a substance used to treat, to heal, or cure a disease. Meditation: a process used to focus one”s thought on a particular idea. Communion is a time where we stop to meditate, to focus our thoughts. The Communion emblems, the bread and the juice, are not medicines. Consuming them doesn”t heal you. They do, however, have a therapeutic effect. Touching and tasting the bread and the juice provide a visible reminder to refocus our minds and hearts past
May 23, 2014
In the Painting
By Nancy Karpenske William E. Barrett”s novel The Shape of Illusion tells a story about a painting. The scene depicted on the canvas is Pilate”s courtyard. Jesus is there, beaten and bloodied. He is surrounded by the angry mob screaming insults and throwing rocks. This fictional painting is no ordinary work of art. It seems that everyone who looks at it finds his or her own face in the raging crowd. Saints, sinners, priests, paupers: all instantly see themselves acting despicably in the gruesome scene. How would you respond if you saw your own likeness in that setting? What if
May 16, 2014
Time to Recharge the Batteries
Nancy Karpenske Have you ever suddenly been awakened in the middle of the night? You lay in bed, wondering what woke you. About 30 seconds later you have almost fallen back to sleep when it happens again. Your smoke alarm emits that tiny chirping sound. Oh, it”s not detecting smoke””that noise is loud and blaring. Instead, the annoying little chirp is warning you that the battery is losing its power. Wouldn”t it be great if your spiritual life gave you a little warning chirp when your spiritual batteries are losing power? Wouldn”t it be great if you could be just
Cleansing from Heaven
By Nancy Karpenske What does a car wash have in common with Communion? I”m not talking about the do-it-yourself car wash. Picture instead the one where you pull up, align your car correctly, and drive in. You sit in the comfort of your car, proceeding slowly through first the water, then the soap, then the powerful spray, then more rinsing, perhaps even blow-drying. Your car emerges spotless and shiny. You haven”t really lifted a finger. It reminds me of a popular Christian song by Todd Agnew. In “Grace Like Rain” he says God washes away all our stains, just like
August 19, 2013
The Pearl Group: More than a Donation
By Nancy Karpenske The Pearl Group is a nonprofit that helps single parents in specialized ways. This group was launched by business owners from LifeBridge Christian Church who wanted to do more than just donate money. The Pearl Group can apply for grants, seek donors, and arrange partnerships with foundations and agencies that might not give to a church. The Pearl programs offer a wide array of services: “¢ A car clinic happens on Saturdays every other month. Two local garages open their doors for teams of volunteer mechanics. “¢ The Closet is a free clothing bank for moms and
August 19, 2013
How We Serve Single Moms
For nearly a decade LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colorado, has been trying to figure out how to bless single moms. We”ve had some breakthroughs and some setbacks. Here is the one clear truth: God doesn”t measure success the same way we do. By Nancy Karpenske I”ll call her Debbie. When she started attending our group, she sat hunched over, making no eye contact. I kept expecting her to storm out. Ever so slowly her protective layers of hostility began to melt, just a few degrees. She has three children, each with a special needs diagnosis. She typically works three
October 12, 2012
Insights into the Underprivileged: Find This Book and Read It! (Part 6)
By Nancy Karpenske What Every Church Member Needs to Know about Poverty Bill Ehlig and Ruby K. Payne Highlands: aha! Process Inc., 1999 Ruby K. Payne is the leading U.S. educator teaching teachers and social workers about the impacts on families in poverty, and the author of the best-selling book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Bill Ehlig has been a minister in urban settings for more than 30 years. God expects and commands followers of Jesus to be concerned and involved with needy people. “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has
June 8, 2012
A New Meaning to an Old Memorial
By Nancy Karpenske Imagine family and friends around your picnic table at Memorial Day. The head of the family is explaining to the youngsters about the origin and importance of the holiday. But instead of reciting history, as one would expect, he puts himself in the middle of the meaning, as if he is going to leave your family picnic and volunteer to give his life for his country. He even claims that from now on, Memorial Day will focus on his sacrifice more than on the remembrance of previous veterans. You might be glad this imaginary family isn”t yours””or
July 11, 2011
Their Guide, and Yours
By Mark A. Taylor Haven”t you been enjoying our 2011 Bible feature “The Bible, My Guide”? Many of the entries, although by known writers, share details about their lives or conversions or spiritual practices new to many of us. We can”t list every one of them here, but as I reflect on the columns we”ve printed so far, several stand out in my memory: Nancy Karpenske Janet McMahon Pat Magness Doug Lucas Chris Travis Tony Twist Diane Stortz Brandon Smith Kay Moll Michael Sweeney Wayne Shaw If you missed any of these, you”ll do yourself a favor
May 9, 2011
Reaching Their Potential?
By Darrel Rowland Women”s ministry leaders across the country””plus a token guy””were asked: “Do most Christian churches/churches of Christ you”re aware of allow women to reach their full potential in Christ?” Paul Boatman, seminary dean at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian University Of course they do! The trick is to keep their full potential limited so that they are prevented from exercising any God-given talents that might impinge on our fantasies of masculine control. Some leadership roles just cannot be filled without testosterone! Having participated in at least a dozen ordinations of women to specialized ministries, I experience frustration at consistently seeing
February 3, 2011
Nancy Meets God in Isaiah
By Nancy Karpenske It”s just a purple spiral notebook, well-worn and nondescript. But it contains my personal history with the book of Isaiah. All I really knew about Isaiah was that it held precious prophecies””a virgin shall conceive, unto us a child is born, despised and rejected, a man of sorrows. And the famous vision of God”s throne room that resulted in Isaiah crying out, “Here am I, Lord, send me!” I set my sights on becoming more familiar with Isaiah””not the facts and time lines and interpretations; I intended to look for God in the pages. I decided to
September 2, 2009
Reflecting Our Desire to Serve a Diverse Fellowship
By Mark A. Taylor How does one institution or instrument serve a fellowship like ours? Consider our diversity: “¢ Geographic: We exist all over the world, stronger in some countries than in the United States. “¢ Cultural: We thrive in small towns and at rural crossroads. But we”re growing in urban centers, too, and some of our most prominent congregations are in the suburbs. “¢ Size: Most congregations average less than 300 on Sundays. But we have the highest number of megachurches per capita of any denomination in America. “¢ Political: Even though some would never see it, we”re not
Establishing the Work of Our Hands
By Mark A. Taylor The picture (which accompanied the article “It’s Simple” by Luke Erickson and Tom Moen in this week’s print edition)Â reminds us of the virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31: “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy” (v. 20). She is typical of men and women described in our series ongoing through 2009. The theme (borrowed from last year”s National Missionary Convention) “Get Your Hands Dirty” connects their stories. We”ve included in their number not only those whose hands are literally soiled by digging wells, collecting trash, remodeling mission outposts, or
June 7, 2009
The Bible Mandate for Single Mom Ministry
 By Nancy Karpenske “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27)*. In today”s society, homes led by single mothers are one significant expression of “orphans and widows.” In Acts 6, one of the first problems in the early church centered around neglect or unfair treatment of widows in a basic necessity: daily food. The apostles” response shows it was important to respond to the need and care for these individuals and families. The apostles invited the church to select seven of their best
