Articles for tag: Sabbath

January 20, 2017

Christian Standard

Healthy Leaders, Healthy Churches

By Jennifer Johnson Christian leaders often try to “fill the well” by reading, praying, resting, and spending time with God, and they talk about “leading out of the overflow” of a life that”s replenished by these activities. This type of spiritual development is about much more than sermon preparation, and it”s vital to strong leadership at churches of every size.  J.K. Jones, pastor of spiritual formation at Eastview Christian Church in Normal, Illinois; Kelly Kastens, worship arts pastor at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland; and Glen Schneiders, lead pastor at Crossroads Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, each play a

January 9, 2017

Christian Standard

Lesson for January 15, 2017: Praise God the Provider (Psalm 65)

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 January 8, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” Our Jewish friends call this the Traditional Ha-Motzi Blessing, which is recited before eating bread on the Sabbath. Psalm 65 may be something like a predecessor to that prayer. It praises God for his provision. The superscription

October 26, 2015

Christian Standard

Our Reading Group

By Chad Ragsdale Life can get busy. Correction, life is busy. It is often the principal description we give for our lives. How are we? We”re busy. And our persistent busyness stunts our spiritual and personal growth. Growth simply demands too much of our time. And, let”s face it, in our culture many of the things that best lead to growth are typically treated as merely “recreational” or diversionary in nature. Important disciplines like Sabbath, study, and meditation are regarded as luxuries (“if you have the time for such things”), much like a day at the golf course or the

July 30, 2015

Michael C. Mack

10 Ways to Get Out of the Way of God Building His Church

By Will Mancini Nearly 30 years ago, Joe Ellis wrote in The Church on Target: “Sometimes the voice of Jesus saying, “˜I will build my church,” can hardly be heard amid the babble of human voices affirming, “˜We will build the church. Our plans, our organizations, our resources will accomplish it, and we will have it the way we want it.”” More recently, “clarity evangelist” Will Mancini wrote similar words, describing 10 ways we often get in the way of God building his church, and what we can do about it. 1. Rely on God”s wisdom, not human wisdom by

May 22, 2015

Christian Standard

To Comfort All Who Mourn (Isaiah 61:1-3)

By Neal Windham The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners . . . to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion (Isaiah 61:1-3). Jesus loved Isaiah. Again and again, our Lord turned to the trusted old prophet to help orient his disciples in the compassionate ways of the kingdom. For example, he began the Sermon on the Mount

March 3, 2014

Christian Standard

Seeking Discipline and Considering the Captives

By LeRoy Lawson   Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor Jana Riess Brewster: Paraclete Press, 2011 Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives Thomas French New York: Hyperion, 2010 The title gives it away: Jana Riess”s Flunking Sainthood isn”t going to be your most serious read this year. It may be, though, the most fun. Actually, Riess is serious about the exercise of spiritual disciplines. Her tone is lighthearted, even flippant at times, but her soul thirsts, yea even longs, for the living God. So she goes to work. Her

July 28, 2013

Mark A. Taylor

Interview with Wayne Cordeiro

Hear Wayne Cordeiro’s take on balance, sabbath, ministry fruitfulness, apostasy, and how his church approaches volunteers with a challenge to serve. See this interview with CHRISTIAN STANDARD Editor Mark Taylor, recorded in July at the North American Christian Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

September 22, 2011

Christian Standard

Doing Nothing Is Doing Something

By Mandy Smith The first 35 years of my life I honored God by doing. My plan for the next 35 years is also to honor him by not doing. Exodus 34:21 helped bring me to this turning point. It says: “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” Around my 35th year I found I had worked myself out and had nothing more to give. My plan to single-handedly save the world was failing miserably since I could barely manage the grocery shopping. So

August 1, 2010

Christian Standard

Avoiding Burnout, Surviving Burnout

By Mark A. Taylor Any of us could create situations that might lead to burnout among our Christian leaders. But burnout-afflicted ministers are not at the mercy of forces around them. They can control several steps that will lead to restored health. Ryan Connor this week makes some suggestions. R. Loren Sandford offers more in his book Renewal for the Wounded Warrior: A Burnout Survival Guide for Believers (Chosen Books, 2010). His advice for growing out of burnout can also help many of us from falling into it in the first place. Some of his ideas: “¢ Break the personal

January 17, 2010

Christian Standard

A Sabbatical for Volunteers

By Wilbur Reid III Volunteer church leaders are busy. In addition to the typically demanding workweek, they have family responsibilities: driving kids to practices, maintaining the lawn, staying up with housework and laundry, and everything else that makes a healthy and happy home. On top of that, they feel a calling and responsibility to support the kingdom of God in their local church. They spend hours each week as elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, nursery workers, and small group leaders. They maintain the building and grounds, sing in the choir, and work with the youth group. This busyness leads to

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