Articles for tag: North American Christian Convention

July 12, 2012

Christian Standard

Discussions Just Begun

By Mark A. Taylor “Wherever two or three are gathered together . . . someone’s wrong!” That was one of a hundred one-liners Chonda Pierce delivered during her alternately hilarious and heart-touching monologue during the Thursday-night evening session at the North American Christian Convention in Orlando, July 12. Chonda hadn’t attended two special seminars I heard earlier that day. But each of them contained questions and ideas that at least someone in the church would call wrong. This is one more thing good about this year’s North American Christian Convention. It stretched us by challenging us with ideas we may

July 12, 2012

Christian Standard

Just One NACC Story

By Mark A. Taylor Meet Tyrone Benson, minister with the  Pontoon Beach (Illinois) Christian Church, not far from St. Louis Missouri. Tyrone graduated from St. Louis Christian College this spring, and this is his first ministry. This is his first North American Christian Convention too. He’s at the event in Orlando, Florida, this year because of convention president Rick Rusaw’s idea to honor new ministry graduates at a special service during the convention’s closing session Friday morning. Tyrone is one of several dozen such ministers who will be singled out then. I can’t imagine a candidate more deserving of our

July 11, 2012

Christian Standard

It’s All About the Connections

By Mark A. Taylor When the North American Christian Convention advertises itself as “the connecting place,” it’s not false advertising! Just try getting through the halls quickly from one event to another. Inevitably you’ll be stopped by people you know, friends from former ministries, or old college classmates. And if you’re not stopped, you may be doing the stopping as you see a favorite college professor, the guest preacher who visited your church, or the workshop leader who gave your church a new vision for ministry. Happy chatter is the norm in the hallways, around the exhibits, in the elevators,

July 10, 2012

Christian Standard

The Start of a Refreshing Week

By Mark A. Taylor “We”re inviting you to be refreshed by our amazing God,” said Tim Foot as he opened the first worship gathering of the 2012 North American Christian Convention in Orlando, Florida, Tuesday evening, July 10. Several thousand had gathered at the Marriott Orlando World Center Resort in two expansive ballrooms that had been turned into a worship center. The worship was heartfelt and substantive. Foot”s team augmented their music with creative video that portrayed the spirit and the message of each song we sang. The music was a comfortable mix of newer and older worship choruses, highlighted

June 22, 2012

Christian Standard

NACC Plans Live-Stream of Event This Summer

  By Jennifer Johnson The North American Christian Convention will live-stream each of its main sessions during this summer”s event scheduled for July 10-13 in Orlando, FL. The broadcasts will be free and will include music and worship as well as the sermon from each service. Viewers logging in for the broadcasts will also be able to take notes online and live chat with other viewers via Facebook and Twitter. All broadcasts will be in English, but a multilanguage electronic Bible will be available on-screen for easy reference. The complete schedule of speakers and broadcast times is below. Advertising space

June 19, 2012

Christian Standard

Playing Hurt

By Wayne Smith The greatest thrill, the greatest dream, the greatest goal of a football player”s career is to play in the Super Bowl. To be able to wear the ring of a Super Bowl champion is the greatest accomplishment of all. I”m told that being tackled in an NFL game is like running into a brick wall. In spite of their unbelievable conditioning, nearly all of these players play hurt. The question begs to be asked, “Why do these fellows do this?” Some do it because of the money, but for most of them, football is in their blood

May 14, 2012

Christian Standard

Obituaries from 2011

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF OBITUARIES Connie Lynn Bolinger, 58, of Nashville, TN, died May 22, 2011, after an extended illness. She was born Feb. 12, 1953, in Gary, IN, the daughter of Elwood and Bonnie (Starks) Bolinger. She grew up in the First Christian Church of Hessville, Hammond, IN. A graduate of Morton High School in Hammond, she attended Indiana University and Saint Brieuc in Brittany, France. After moving to Nashville, TN, in 1990 she became staff assistant at First Christian Church, later Aspen Grove Christian Church, of Franklin, TN, a position she held for 21 years. She was a gifted

March 7, 2012

Christian Standard

NACC 2012: Interview with the President

By Brian Mavis Rick Rusaw has served as the lead pastor at LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colorado, since 1991. He is the cofounder of Externally Focused Network, and coauthor of Externally Focused Church, Externally Focused Life, and Externally Focused Quest. Here he answers questions from people like you about this summer”s North American Christian Convention. I contacted 15 different church leaders from around the country and asked them to send me one question they would like to ask you about this year”s convention. Several asked, “How would attending the NACC help me grow as a minister?” RUSAW: The theme

March 6, 2012

Christian Standard

NACC 2012: Speakers, Topics to Challenge and Refresh

  By Jennifer Taylor Some leaders attend conferences to hear just one or two of these speakers; at the 2012 NACC you can learn from them all! Mark Scott, exposition and leadership pastor at Mountainview Community Christian Church (Highlands Ranch, Colorado), will kick off the week with his Tuesday night message, “Come, Be Refreshed.” He is a popular author and speaker and former professor at Ozark Christian College (Joplin, Missouri). On Wednesday morning the main session will feature Jerry Taylor from Abilene (Texas) Christian University. Taylor teaches Bible classes at the university and is also one of the organizers of the

March 5, 2012

Christian Standard

NACC 2012: Different, but the Same

By Tom Claibourne Some words just don”t seem to belong together, even though we use them that way all the time. Consider: well-known secret; jumbo shrimp (is there really such a thing?); dead livestock; objective opinion; United Nations; drive-through window (which, in reality, would require a very large window and result in a very angry building owner). Here are two more odd combinations: different and same; convention and refreshing. As much as I have appreciated my experiences at various conventions, conferences, family camps, and clinics, I have departed from most of them with some good insights and a few new

March 5, 2012

Christian Standard

Orlando in July? Can”t Wait!

By Mark A. Taylor In the spirit of full disclosure, let me make my bias perfectly clear: I love Orlando. I love the palm trees and the fountains and the flowers. I love the theme parks with their manufactured adventures and one-of-a-kind experiences. I love the restaurants and the shops and the souvenirs. So when I heard the North American Christian Convention was meeting in Orlando this year, I became an instant advocate. “We”re going to Orlando for the NACC,” I told my wife and anyone else who would listen. And no possible objection has fazed me. “It will be

January 30, 2012

Christian Standard

A Preacher”s Kid”s Hopes for His Own PKs

By Shan Caldwell I was born a preacher”s son. As such, I felt it was my duty to help my dad out as much as I could. I thoughtfully provided sermon illustration fodder for the first 16 years of my life. I enlivened dull sermons by whispering or passing notes, obliging my father to interrupt his message by calling me out””by name””in front of the whole congregation. My dad may not have always appreciated my “help,” but I did (and do) appreciate growing up in a preacher”s family. My dad traveled in evangelistic work for the first six years of

September 29, 2011

Christian Standard

Bible Bowl: Beyond the Competition

By Robert Spruill Three years from now National Bible Bowl will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Since Bible Bowl”s creation, thousands of youth have benefited from the opportunity it provides for in-depth study of the Scriptures. Each year a portion of the Bible is chosen as the text that serves as the basis for competitions at the local and national tournaments. Participants study that text for the entire Bible Bowl season, which runs from October through May, but extends into June and July for teams that compete beyond local round robin tournaments. Many players memorize all or part of the text

September 27, 2011

Christian Standard

Feeling the Weight

 By Mark A. Taylor To a casual observer, the North American Christian Convention president”s job may look easy and fun. He gets to make many decisions about the convention program, including the speakers and the lead musicians. In the year before the convention, he is introduced as president before audiences everywhere. Once the convention begins, he flits from one session to another, encouraging leaders and speakers and bringing words of greeting. He has the honor of preaching at the convention”s opening session. But anyone who”s worked behind the scenes at the NACC sees the burden the president takes on. For

September 26, 2011

Christian Standard

Protestors at the NACC: “˜Where the Action Is”

By Darrel Rowland “We’re not out here to turn people to Christ.” So said one of six sign-toting demonstrators (including two children) from Westboro Baptist Church, Topeka, Kansas, who protested outside the North American Christian Convention for about an hour July 7. A woman with an NACC name tag was asking the female protestor about Jesus’ love and whether they thought their message would turn gays and others to Christ. But the protestor said gays are “in the pit”—and, in fact, so was the NACC attender because she had cut her hair, in violation of 1 Corinthians 11. As the

September 26, 2011

Christian Standard

NACC Crowd Reaction: “˜Spiritually Uplifting”

By Darrel Rowland James and Deborah Dixon had no plans to attend the North American Christian Convention. In fact, they hadn”t even heard of it. They traveled from their home in Indianapolis to Cincinnati just to get away for a few days after July 4th. But when they saw the people crowded around the convention center, they decided to check it out. “It was very spiritually uplifting,” James Dixon said. The couple attends New Life Worship Center in Indianapolis. It wasn”t just the newbies giving two thumbs up to this year”s NACC. “I thought it was fantastic,” said Rich Bowie

September 26, 2011

Christian Standard

NACC Diversity: “˜A Giant Leap Forward”

By Darrel Rowland Dudley Rutherford admits it”s his biggest fear: That the recent increasing diversity of the NACC will fade away. “We took a giant leap forward. We cannot afford to take a small step backward. We need to keep pressing the issue,” said Rutherford, who has led the drive to bring more minorities as speakers and to fill other key roles on the platform. Rutherford said he already has written letters to future NACC presidents urging them to continue the convention”s blend of races and ethnicities. “Usually we put one African-American on the stage and call it diversity,” he said.

September 25, 2011

Christian Standard

What a Wonderful Convention!

By Darrel Rowland A blur of scenes from the 2011 North American Christian Convention in Cincinnati . . . “¢ A pair of preachers, leaders of churches totaling about 30,000 in weekly attendance, breaking down in tears at 1 a.m. in their hotel””then taking pizza to the homeless . . . “¢ Two women riding one step apart on the escalator cackling when they realize they had worn identical blouses that day . . . “¢ Noisy protestors””including one toting a sign saying “Your Pastor Is a Liar”””occupying all four corners of the intersection just outside the main entrance to the

September 3, 2011

Christian Standard

Four Special Verses

By Sam E. Stone Out of a lifetime of Bible study, four verses have become especially significant to me over the years. Let me tell you why each is so special.   James 4:15 About halfway through my freshman year at Ozark Bible College, I became very ill. My parents sent a telegram that they would come to Joplin to help, but the message was a puzzle. It concluded with an unusual abbreviation. “Will arrive tomorrow about 6:00 p.m., TLW.” Several student and faculty friends tried to figure it out. Could TLW be short for Trailways Bus? Could it mean

August 15, 2011

Christian Standard

The Message Is Relentless

By Dale Reeves When Beth Guckenberger told me that we had an opportunity to advertise the cover of her book, Relentless Hope, on a car that would be racing in the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup on July 9, 2011, I was absolutely thrilled! I immediately shared with my marketing manager the opportunity to have Standard Publishing represented at the Kentucky Speedway. We started wondering, Has anyone ever advertised a book in a NASCAR race before? Before long we were providing art files to NASCAR driver and Back2Back supporter Michael McDowell, and we quickly realized that he is a great

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