March 4, 2024
March 10 Lesson | Servant Leadership
The divisions in the church at Corinth were mostly caused by pride, which ran counter to servant leadership. . . .
Articles for tag: servanthood
May 1, 2023
A Homecoming of the Heart: The Secret in Our Search for Unity
By Drew Baker The unfortunate consensus in the United States demands that our leaders come across as having all the answers. Whether politicians or preachers, we expect them to have perfect wisdom even if we know it’s an impossible ask. I can’t imagine a politician getting elected on a platform of humility and a willingness to learn even from political opponents. When it comes to preaching, we tend to expect more answers than questions from our pulpits. “Give us this day our daily truth, lead us not into contemplation, and deliver us from mystery.” In such a culture, it is
November 29, 2021
Dec. 5 | Discovery
How does the centurion’s intercession for his servant and the Jewish leaders’ intercession for the centurion reflect, in a way, Jesus’ intercession for us?
September 1, 2021
Elders Who Disciple: One Key to an Effective Church
In his book Disciple, Juan Carlos Ortiz says the greatest problem facing the church today is “the perpetual childhood of the believer.” The fact that most of our churches are made up of spiritually immature believers is a major issue to the church fulfilling her mission. This extreme lack of spiritual development continually cripples the dynamic advancement of our churches. We will never take our cities for Christ if the vast number of our people remain at a “kindergarten” level of spiritual growth and maturity. This deep and widespread problem can be attributed, more than anything else, to the lack
May 31, 2021
June 6 | Discovery
Sometimes, like David, we make our plans for how we will serve God, but God’s plans, purposes, and timing may be different. What does this passage teach you about obedience?
April 19, 2021
Apr 25 | A New Way of Life
Christians are clearly called to follow the Lord in the cruciform life. Today’s lesson—the third clear prediction of the cross followed by the request of James and John for chief seats—underlines this.
April 1, 2021
Unity Matters: Two Essentials We Need to Experience Oneness
Words are powerful, especially a person’s final words. A loved one’s final words impact us for years to come. In the same way, the final words of Jesus will continue to impact us until he returns. Jesus not only spoke seven separate times from the cross, but in his last hours, he offered up a prayer that included us. A careful reading of Jesus’ longest recorded prayer (John 17) reveals Jesus prayed not only for his followers then, but for his followers now. Quite literally, Jesus prayed for us. And he asked God for only one thing on our behalf—that
November 22, 2020
10 Foundation Stones of the Church—No. 8: Spiritual Gifts
A few years ago I had the chance to take my ministry team to the University of Notre Dame. We toured the stadium, but the highlight was going into the locker room, slapping the “PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY” sign, and running out of the tunnel and onto the field. It was all make-believe, but it pointed up man’s desire to be part of the game. Watching from the bleachers can be fun, but it’s nothing like actually playing in the game. Think about it—from the time we were young, we didn’t merely want to attend games or concerts, we
June 14, 2020
Dual Citizenship
By Jim Estep Lyrics by Buffalo Springfield from 1966 are coming true: “There’s battle lines being drawn, and nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong . . . singing songs and they’re carrying signs, mostly say, ‘hooray for our side.’” Democrat, Republican, independent. Red, blue, purple. Radical right and social democrats. We live in what may be the most polarized period in U.S. history, short of the Civil War. Regardless of where you live, in what country, within which state or province, we all live in the tension between two worlds. Our dual citizenship between here and Heaven. Living in the Dichotomy
June 22, 2019
Practicing the Implications of Truth: How We Become Doers of the Word and Not Hearers Only
By Wes Sebree Not even an extremely gifted communicator can rival experience as a teacher. My good friend Mike would add, “Truth is discovered, not downloaded.” In other words, truth must be experienced to take root. If these statements are accurate—and they are—we need to consider whether we want to proclaim the truth or whether we want to equip people to live faithfully. The first can be accomplished without doing the second. Additionally, equating information transfer with spiritual growth robs Christ’s body of experiencing God’s truth and love in tangible ways. This results in a subtle brand of gnosticism where
December 15, 2018
Christmas at the Movies: A Wonderful Life
By Dick Alexander Why would you bother to watch this movie? There are no motorcycle chases. No buildings blow up. Nobody dies or gets killed. There’s only one minor car accident, and that with no injuries. Everyone is fully dressed. The plot is straightforward—it’s clear who are the good guys and bad guys, and nobody switches sides. Yet, in spite of what at face value is an old-school, out-of-date movie, year after year we watch It’s a Wonderful Life. Maybe we’re hopeful the title will come true. And maybe part of the allure is a nostalgic longing for the simpler
June 3, 2018
Obituaries for 2018
Send obituary information for **@********************ia.com. (Recent obituaries are listed first, before a comprehensive alphabetical listing further down.) Carol June Lukens Beeman Piper, 91, who was born Jan. 26, 1927, to George Oran and Ella Hall Lukens in a home 10 miles north of Mitchell, NE—the sixth of eight children—died in Tempe, AZ, on May 31, 2018. As a 3-year-old child, upon the death of her mother, Carol June (known then as “June”) moved to Beaver City, NE, to be raised by her aunt and uncle, Fannie Hall Rennecker and Albert Rennecker. She attended Beaver City Public Schools, graduating from high
September 29, 2017
My Crazy, Exciting Adventure in Rural Ministry
By Tom Claibourne I recently turned 60 and marked my 38th anniversary of serving with the same congregation. I am blessed, but the past five years have been the most challenging of my ministry for many reasons. As a result, I”ve had plenty of opportunities for introspection and evaluation. That”s a good thing, because every congregation or person in ministry needs both. My journey has been mostly positive, sometimes frustrating and disappointing, seldom dull, and always educational. I continue to learn valuable lessons about life and ministry. Our Story Bethlehem Church of Christ has been representing Jesus Christ between
October 2, 2016
Be the Lead Servant
By Eddie Lowen A question for church leaders: Do you make time to worry about whether or not people think you”re inclined to serve? I met the world”s best restaurant server. From the moment he approached our table, he was the personification of service. He flawlessly memorized orders. He was fast without seeming hurried, informative without being verbose. He was genuinely friendly. He succinctly offered great recommendations, anticipated all we needed, and even kept the table from becoming cluttered. But what registered with me strongest was that he enjoyed taking care of us. His final words were, “I”m glad I
August 23, 2013
Communion . . . and Humility
By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Remember summer camp or church camp? Those late nights raiding other tents or dorms? Those camp meals that looked increasingly familiar as the week went on? The mosquitoes, bugs, and sunburn that made for some uncomfortable moments? But most of all . . . cleanup duties at the end. Remember the scramble not to be assigned the shower and toilet block? Remember the hair, the soap residue, and the scum? It was nasty, and nobody in their right mind would volunteer for that job. We were made for a
January 8, 2013
How Do You Define Your Leadership? Keith H. Ray
By Keith H. Ray Leadership is a divine mystery where the science of management, art of creative thinking, humility of servanthood, and prompting of the Holy Spirit meet to do the unimaginable for the kingdom of God. Perhaps most delightful of all is watching God transform the simple acts of servitude into influential initiatives that bring about timely and fruitful change. This servitude is also accompanied by the sometimes difficult realities of truth. I call this “truthship,” where we speak the truth in love in order to bring God”s reality to bear on our ever-changing circumstances. Wishful thinking and notions
January 2, 2012
The First Step Toward Unity
By Mark A. Taylor Christian unity, like so many other grand doctrines of the Bible, is something none of us would repudiate. Just as all of us are for love, joy, peace, patience, and self-control””just as all of us would lift up the ideas of mercy, grace, or forgiveness””all of us, if asked, would agree we”re for unity. But deciding to discuss unity is something else. When I talk about unity, my notions of it are challenged. I must sit across the table from a fellow believer who disagrees with me and yet acknowledge that I want unity with him.
June 3, 2011
Questions After a Dinner
By Mark A. Taylor Why attend a retirement dinner? To honor the retiree, of course. He (or she) is the focus when speakers describe accomplishments, tell a few funny stories to show his human side, and present a gift from admirers who have gathered to congratulate him. All that happened at the last retirement dinner I attended. But since then I”ve decided the greatest benefit of a retirement dinner may not come to the person or couple retiring, but to everyone else at the party. We hear the accolades and wonder, What will people say about me when I get
May 3, 2011
A Good Ride, Just Begun
By C. Robert Wetzel In 1946 David Parsley and I were baptized by Lloyd Robbins at the First Christian Church in Hugoton, Kansas. We were 12 years old at the time. Lloyd gave us our baptismal certificates and copies of the Revised Standard Version of the New Testament. At the time the translators of the RSV had completed only the New Testament. It was later when the Old Testament translation was completed that the controversy over the RSV became so intense. Some will remember “The Battle of the Versions,” as the controversy was described by one well-known author among us.
April 25, 2011
Lesson for May 1, 2011: Be Like Jesus (Philippians 2:1-11)
This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for May 1) is written by Lise Caldwell, a freelance writer living in Indianapolis, Indiana. ____________ Be Like Jesus (Philippians 2:1-11) By Lise Caldwell To paraphrase A Christmas Carol, I am a famously competitive person: to begin with. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate. My husband loves to tell the tale of the time I mercilessly defeated a 12-year-old girl in a game of Scene It at Walt Disney World in order to win Electronic-Banking Monopoly, a game he
