March 13, 2026
JUSTICE VS. GRACE
A meditation on human guilt and the gospel surprise: in Christ, grace—not justice—was served at the cross. As you take Communion, remember what Jesus bore for us and consider who needs that message this week.
Articles for tag: Scripture
December 2, 2025
Christmas Ramblings, Attendance Trends, and the Medication Everyone Should Get On in 2026
Recent studies contend that the joys of Christmas can be carried beyond December and result in good mental and physical health by regularly going to church.
April 29, 2024
May 5 | Discovery Questions
These Discovery Questions are for use with this week’s Lookout Bible Lesson, “Integrity” (2 Corinthians 1:12-24; 2:12-17), by Mark Scott.
April 15, 2024
April 21 | Discovery Questions
These Discovery Questions are for use with this week’s Lookout Bible Lesson, “Love” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13), by Mark Scott.
March 18, 2024
March 24 | Discovery Questions
These Discovery Questions are for use with this week’s Lookout Bible Lesson, "Communion" (1 Corinthians 11:17-34), by Mark Scott.
September 27, 2021
Visible Reminders
The narrative draws an interesting picture. The curtain hid the mercy seat and ark, leaving visible only the ends of the poles by which the ark was carried. . . .
February 1, 2021
Feb 7 | Discovery
Study Questions for Groups 1. What was the biggest challenge you faced last week? 2. What did you put into practice from last week’s study? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read James 1:22-27 and James 2:14-26 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Ask the third person to summarize the main points of the passages. 3. Imagine parents instructing their child in a basic command, i.e., “Don’t run into the street” or “Brush your teeth.” Time after time, however, the child disobeys. The parents ask, “Didn’t you hear me?” to which
March 23, 2020
Discovery Questions for March 29, 2020
(Click here for a detailed explanation of how to use the Discovery Bible Study.) By Leigh Mackenzie Study Questions for Groups 1. What was challenging for you this past week? (Be as specific as possible.) Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—for their help. Ask the first reader to read Mark 5:1-20 aloud. Then ask the second person to read it aloud again (it may be useful to read it from a different Bible version). Then ask everyone except the reteller to set aside their Bibles and simply listen. Ask the third person to retell (not interpret) the narrative in
April 5, 2018
A Day with Jesus: What He Teaches Us About Discipleship
By Ryan Rasmussen As a pastor of a large church, I often question whether we’re discipling our people effectively. Though large churches have more resources and staff than small churches, they are often no better equipped to help people take steps forward with Jesus. The truth is, churches of every size seem to struggle with knowing whether their discipleship processes are effective. This might be the case because, well, it’s all a bit confusing. Multiple discipleship models are available: house churches, Sunday school, small groups, missional communities, and many others. Discipleship in its many forms has been the subject of
February 2, 2017
Divine Encounters, Good Good-byes, Genes Seen
By LeRoy Lawson What”s in a Phrase? Pausing Where Scripture Gives You Pause Marilyn Chandler McEntyre Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014 A Faithful Farewell: Living Your Last Chapter with Love Marilyn Chandler McEntyre Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015 A Long Letting Go: Meditations on Losing Someone You Love Marilyn Chandler McEntyre Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015 The Gene: An Intimate History Siddhartha Mukherjee New York: Scribner, 2016 When I learned of Marilyn McEntyre”s 2014 book What”s in a Phrase? I had to add it to my “must read” list. Earlier I had read her Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies. Her purpose in
October 3, 2016
Clamped Down
By Roger Palms One day I toured the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and was invited on board a training version of a craft that had been sent into space. I was shown clamps on the floor that anchor the feet of the astronauts. Out in space, there is no orientation of up or down. So when an astronaut wants to be stable, or to sleep, he or she is fixed in place by those clamps. Whatever seems like up to the astronaut, is up. Whatever feels like down, is down. I came away from that visit thinking that”s
July 8, 2015
God Tastes Like Fire
By Jim Tune German Anabaptist teacher Hans Hut endured the heat of persecution when he refused to have his child baptized. He was arrested in 1527 during a meeting with other Anabaptist leaders in Augsburg, Germany. Hut was tortured horribly, and died of asphyxiation during a fire that consumed the Augsburg prison on December 6, 1527. The next day, the authorities sentenced his dead body to death and burned him. A man of deep convictions and reverence for God, Hut described the holiness of God: “God tastes like fire.” God appears as flame frequently in Scripture, consuming at one moment,
May 28, 2015
By Christians, for Christians
By Scott Caulley How long has it been since you really read the Gospels? Maybe, like I, you remember stories about Jesus brought to “life” with flannelgraph figures in Sunday school classes. Because of my upbringing, I am blessed with wonderful memories of Jesus with the lost sheep, Jesus with the man born blind, Jesus and the lame man lowered through the roof by his faithful friends. And maybe you, like I, have heard many sermons taken from these Gospel stories. For us, as well as for children, these stories are brief, action filled, and work well as freestanding units.
December 1, 2014
6 Things Successful Leaders Do Early in the Morning
By Michael C. Mack Rising early is a common trait among many successful and influential people, says Forbes online (www.forbes.com). The Forbes article mentioned early risers such as Margaret Thatcher, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Robert Iger (CEO of Disney), all of whom were or are out of bed between 4 and 5 a.m. The Forbes writer, however, overlooked another very successful and influential leader who often rose early, Jesus. Here are four items from the Forbes list and two from Jesus about what these successful people focus(ed) on while most are still in bed: 1. Exercise. A prework workout will
February 7, 2013
Seeking God
By Mark A. Taylor Throughout the month of February, you’ll find many articles on this site around the theme of spiritual formation. And you may wonder why. Barney Wells, a professor at Lincoln Christian University, says there”s a widespread “recognition that we need to go deeper in our preaching, teaching, and community life.” Jody Owens, professor of Bible and pastoral ministries at Johnson University, adds, “All ministers are aware this is a pressing need,” but “they”re finding little time to dedicate to intentional discipleship.” Those Christian college teachers, as well as several others included in Jennifer Johnson”s report, are giving their
June 12, 2011
Sustained by the Word
By Kay Moll I was 22 years old. My husband of eight months had left our home in Illinois to travel to Homecoming at Johnson Bible College in Tennessee early on a snowy February morning with five teenagers from the small congregation we were serving in Illinois. A small group of us from the church had prayed with them for safety on the trip and watched them drive away. A little while later I went to the junior high school where I was teaching English and history and began my workday. Around 10:00 a.m., a fellow teacher stuck her head
January 20, 2010
Don”t Let Us Forget
By Mark A. Taylor When I was a young parent, I cared a great deal about the children”s ministry at my church. Every week I asked my kids what they”d learned in their classes. I fretted over the issue of child care vs. Bible teaching for young children. I questioned whether lessons were appropriate for their ages. When I was a Christian education staff member at my church, I gave a great deal of attention to children”s ministry. I struggled to find enough workers, and the right workers. I labored over choices of curriculum. I tried to figure out how
March 29, 2009
What Is the Glue?
 By David Faust In a 1910 lecture at Yale, Charles E. Jefferson described the difference between a church and an audience, It is to be regretted that we have come to . . . judge preachers by the number of persons who listen to their sermons. A superficial man is consequently tempted to work, not for a church, but for an audience. An audience, however, is not worth working for. An audience is a group of unrelated people drawn together by a short-lived attraction. . . . It is a fortuitous concourse of human atoms, scattering as soon as
November 4, 2007
An Open Apology Letter to My Class
By Randy Gariss Dear Class and Family: Well, I”m here at the Teacher”s Rehab Center and I just got back from my first support group session for struggling teachers and preachers. I really hate to admit it, but the first day wasn”t as bad as I expected. I am not yet ready to thank you for kidnapping me and forcing me to go, but I do want to apologize for my angry words and swinging fist as the class mobbed me and carried me out to the rehab bus. (Especially to you, Sweetheart . . . I just think your
