Articles for tag: Thanksgiving

November 25, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

How to Cope with Grief at the Holidays

By Mark A. Taylor In the wake of several deaths close to my family in recent months, I”m especially sensitive to the grief some friends are facing this holiday season. And I”m grateful for one way my church offers to help. Late in November every year, our seniors ministry conducts a service of remembrance for families whose deceased loved one attended our congregation. It”s a simple service, with hymns and Scripture. But the unique touch is the Christmas tree in one corner of the chapel. Beside the tree are boxes of white ornaments, each bearing a different name, handwritten in

November 28, 2013

Christian Standard

When It”s Hard to Give Thanks

By Sam E. Stone Two men were walking through a field when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they started running for the nearest fence. The bull was in hot pursuit. Terrified, one shouted to the other, “Pray, John. We”re in for it!” “I can”t,” his friend yelled back. “I”ve never prayed in public in all my life!” “You”ve got to!” his friend implored. “The bull”s gaining on us!” “OK,” panted John. “I”ll pray the only prayer I know””the one my mom taught me at the table: “˜O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.””

November 3, 2013

Michael C. Mack

Seven Ways Your Small Group Can Celebrate the Incarnation This Holiday Season

By Michael C. Mack Many groups struggle with meeting and studying over the holidays, and this can be detrimental to the health of your group. Not only that, but this is a prime time of the year to help your group members grow in their faith and invite new people. Perhaps your group will take a break from its normal schedule, but that”s no reason to stop meeting. Here are seven ideas for how your small group can get the most””and give the most””from Thanksgiving through New Year”s.   1. Experience Christmas. This is one of the most wonderful times

March 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Wordless Groans at the Lord”s Table

By C. Robert Wetzel “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). We often find our congregations preparing for the Lord”s Supper with an appropriate Communion hymn followed by a meditation that enables us to focus on the meaning of this sacred event. This is followed by what some call the “words of institution,” such as the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. The presiding elder then offers a prayer of blessing over the bread and cup. As we partake, we focus our

February 8, 2013

Christian Standard

Confess Our Unworthiness, Celebrate His Worthiness

By Lynn Gardner Paul warned against partaking of the Lord”s Supper in an unworthy manner (1 Corinthians 11:27, 29). However, that does not mean we should not recognize our unworthiness as we partake. Our culture stresses self-confidence as a key to success. Proper self-respect as one made in the image of God is not sinful, and recognizing we are unworthy to be saved by God is not having a low self-image or low self-esteem. God places a value on us because he created us in his image, but we stand before him as guilty sinners who do not deserve his favor

December 24, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for December 30, 2012: Christ”s Love for the Church (Ephesians 5:15″“6:9)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Key passages from the book of Ephesians have been considered this month, following the theme, “Victory in Jesus.” Chapter 5 contains guidelines for Christian behavior in a pagan world. Today”s background Scripture begins in v. 15. Even before this, however, Paul warned about dangers such as sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscenity, and foolish talk (vv. 3-7). The first section of our printed text is addressed to the whole church (vv. 18-21). All Christians must be careful

November 29, 2012

Christian Standard

Good Gifts After Black Friday

By Mark A. Taylor I have a friend who works for a well-known benevolent organization not affiliated with any church, but providing a much-needed service to families in crisis. And at Christmastime, she sees the gifts pour in. People drive up every day in December with carloads of clothes, games, and food. But one donor stood out in my friend”s memory. The woman approached the front desk holding her daughter”s hand and carrying an armload of goodies. “We would like to meet the family who will receive our gifts,” she told the receptionist. “I want my little girl to experience

November 22, 2012

Christian Standard

A People to Be Thankful for

By Mark A. Taylor For several years now the National Missionary Convention, recently renamed International Conference on Missions (ICOM), has met the weekend before Thanksgiving. This morning I”m struck by how good it is for the convention and the holiday to be so close together. ICOM reminds us how thankful we can be for our fellowship of Christian churches. Our movement (variously called the Restoration Movement, Stone-Campbell Movement, and more recently the Christian Church Movement) is thriving and well. The throngs of teenagers and young adults crowding the Indianapolis Convention Center November 15-18 bear testimony to that. And so do

December 2, 2011

Christian Standard

The Lord”s Supper as Abstraction

By Jason Bembry I want you to imagine our world in the year 2111, 100 years from now. Imagine it”s a few days before Thanksgiving. The fastest-selling grocery item is “Thanksgiving on the Go,” a package containing a little cube of pressed turkey meat, a congealed cube of stuffing, and a tube of cranberry sauce. People in the 2100s are busy folks. Traveling to see loved ones for the holiday has become too hectic; many have deemed it psychologically stressful. Most people opt to work on the fourth Thursday in November, carrying with them the handy “Thanksgiving on the Go.”

June 2, 2011

Christian Standard

Deo Est Amo””God Is Love

By Sheila S. Hudson “Mrs. Hudson. Your husband”s chances are about 50-50. He”s a very sick man. His body has been through a lot. To be perfectly honest, I”m not sure he”ll make it.” Dr. Morris”s face was grim. His eyes stared into mine, making sure I got the message. My hands trembled. The words burned into my brain. Panic overwhelmed me. Angela, interim director at Christian Campus Fellowship, and I held each other. I sobbed as she prayed. In the ladies” room as I dried my hands, I took off my wedding band and read the inscription. Deo Est

February 15, 2011

Christian Standard

Pray Expectantly

By Sheila S. Hudson Dr. Karen Jones made her way to my ground-floor office. As she blinked back tears in her hazel eyes, she broke the news that funding from the State Department of Education hadn”t arrived. What she didn”t say was, without those funds, my job would go away. But both of us knew that was true. I was stunned. Neither of us could believe it. For seven years, Karen and I had worked hand in glove providing summer workshops for special education teachers. Now it seemed our partnership was coming to an end. Not only that, but at

November 17, 2010

Christian Standard

Skipping Dinner to Make a Difference

On Sunday, Rochester (IL) Christian Church celebrated “THANKSgiving, living, loving.” “Instead of our annual Thanksgiving dinner (which none of us needed!), we collected items to fill 200 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, 82 duffel bags filled with toiletries and gifts for foster kids, and 42 Thanksgiving meal baskets for local families,” says Matt Bortmess, senior associate minister. On Sunday families, small groups, and friends worked together to assemble the gifts. The special outreach is part of RCC”s “DO Something” series; throughout the series the church also shared other local and global ways individuals could “do something” to make a difference.

May 10, 2009

Christian Standard

A Christian Civics Lesson

  By Rod Roberts On January 9, 2007, the newly elected speaker of the Iowa House gaveled the 82nd General Assembly into session. True to the traditions of the Iowa House, the speaker invited a special guest pastor to bring the invocation that morning. To the surprise of many, the guest invited to pray for the General Assembly was a Des Moines-area Muslim imam. The gesture was, in part, recognition of the election of Iowa”s first Muslim state legislator, who was from Des Moines. In fact, the state Capitol in Des Moines is located in this legislator”s district. The imam

April 6, 2008

Orrin Root

public prayer

Public Prayer

What does it mean to lead a congregation in prayer? This classic piece urges leaders to pray clearly and specifically, awaken shared gratitude and need, and prepare thoughtfully so the congregation can truly say “amen.”

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