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: The Story
December 20, 2023
A Box of Christmas Memories
"My mother was the 'Cindy Lou Who' to the Christmas 'Grinches' in our family," Indiana minister Eric Hallstrom writes in this second in a series of six Christmas memories we are sharing. "I have to admit, I may have been one of those grouches during my growing-up years. . . ."
October 25, 2023
RENEW.org, College Press Partnering to Re-release Novel about Alexander Campbell
RENEW.org and College Press are collaborating on the re-release of "The Fool of God," a novel that tells the story of Alexander Campbell, a key pioneer of the Restoration Movement. The book is a factual retelling of Campbell’s life. It will be available at ICOM . . .
March 9, 2023
THROWBACK THURSDAY: ‘Lying for the Love of It’ (1907)
This brief anecdote was the shorter, secondary item in J. W. McGarvey’s weekly “Biblical Criticism” column for the issue dated May 11, 1907. It is notable mainly because Restoration Movement pioneer “Raccoon” John Smith plays the pivotal role in the story.
September 5, 2022
September 11 | Discovery
How do memories from your past help you to live more faithfully today?
August 24, 2020
Discovery Questions for August 30, 2020
Study Questions for Groups By Michael C. Mack 1. What challenge did you face last week? 2. In what ways did you see the Lord going before you over the past week? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read Judges 6:11-16, 25-40 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Ask the third person to retell the story in four acts: Act 1: A Mighty Message; Act 2: “Altering” the Altar; Act 3: Dad’s Defense; Act 4: A Trumpet and a Test. 3. What stands out to you in this passage? 4. Let’s
August 17, 2020
Discovery Questions for August 23, 2020
Study Questions for Groups By Michael C. Mack 1. What struggles have you faced over the last week? 2. What actions did you take this past week to pass on your faith to the next generation? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read Judges 4:1-16 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Ask the third person to retell the story in their own words. Remind them to keep it simple. 3. Imagine we as a group are writing a sermon on this passage. Let’s brainstorm a title for the message! 4. Let’s
September 18, 2018
Awaiting a Wedding Feast
By Mandy Smith First Corinthians 11:26 says: “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” So simply by taking this bread and juice today, we remember and retell the story of Jesus’ death, every time, over and over again. We keep telling the story as we eat the bread and as we sip the juice. We tell it to ourselves as we taste it and we tell it to each other as we do it together. Christians have been doing this for thousands of years, and Christians will do this
July 30, 2018
BikeMasters Ministry (Additional Photos)
Here are some photos from CrossCity Christian Church’s BikeMasters events. These photos accompany the story: “BikeMasters Ministry Takes Show on the Road.”
November 29, 2017
Southern Acres Church Members Sue Lead Pastor
The Lexington Herald-Leader, whose November 22 article provided much of the source material for this post, has written a follow-up. Click here to read, “After lawsuit, more turmoil at Lexington church; Attorney expects pastor to be exonerated,” posted November 29. _________ Two members of Southern Acres Christian Church, Lexington, KY, have sued the lead pastor and his wife to block them from spending church money or making real estate transfers. In their lawsuit, members James Keogh and Chad Martin accuse lead pastor Cameron McDonald of concentrating power and financial authority among himself, his wife, and one staff member, according to
May 5, 2017
The Unexpected Place Setting
By Randy Gariss It must have seemed an odd table. David was king of Israel, and when he sat down to eat he had his family and his sons. As king, he naturally would have included some friends and perhaps a favorite servant or two. And also a crippled man by the name of Mephibosheth. The backstory has all the human interest we can handle. Years before, Saul had been the king and he had made the young David”s life miserable””repeatedly attempting to cut it short! Saul”s despotic life and desperate panic were all an ill-fated attempt to keep David,
Plausible Deniability
By Jim Tune In the United Kingdom, members of Parliament have long been allowed to bill taxpayers for the expense of maintaining a second home because they are required to spend time in both London and their home districts. The office responsible for deciding what was reasonable approved nearly every request. Consequently British members of Parliament (MPs) treated it like a big blank check. And because their expenses were hidden from the public, MPs thought they had it made, until a newspaper printed a leaked copy of those expense claims in 2009. Not surprisingly, the MPs had behaved abominably. Many
December 31, 2014
The War on Sleep
By Jim Tune Have you ever heard people brag about how little sleep they require? An article in The Spectator magazine highlighted this problem in modern America: Our war on sleep is hard to miss. TV interviewers ask today”s hard driving achievers how long they sleep. . . . When the guest leaves, the interviewers bat the question around with each other, boasting about pulling “all nighters” or claiming “I”m OK with five,” revelling in a festival of one-down manship. If the standard recommendation of eight hours a night gets mentioned, it is treated with genial contempt. Napoleon, Florence Nightingale,
April 1, 2014
Hearing God”s Call
By Mark A. Taylor Most Thursdays I attend, and usually lead, a men”s small-group Bible study. These are good men, men committed to Christ, churchgoing men, and I couldn”t help thinking about them when I came across a newsletter from the Barna Group earlier this year. According to Barna”s research, 75 percent of American adults say they are looking for ways to live a more meaningful life. But “only 40 percent of practicing Christians say they have a clear sense of God”s calling on their lives.” I”m wondering how the guys in my group feel a sense of calling at
February 18, 2014
Beyond the Problem
By Mark A. Taylor Let”s not dwell on the fact that too many know too little about God”s Word. After clarifying the situation (and more than one writer at our site this month gives troubling facts and examples), let”s talk about how to solve the “know problem” all around us (not only in our neighborhoods, but in our churches too). We’re posting many stories and strategies to help your church increase biblical literacy where you are. From this wealth of help, several principles stand out. “¢ People want to know the Bible better. When presented with an accessible plan for
February 17, 2014
HIS Story
By Matt Myers Chandler Christian Church set out to help people know Jesus like never before. Going through The Story in 2011 was a life-changing experience for our church. People who had always struggled to read anything, much less the Bible, were not only reading Scripture but sharing it with people they knew. Simply putting God”s Word into story format enabled people to overcome that “Bible intimidation factor.” Not only that, it also allowed them to finally see for themselves how the whole Bible points toward Jesus. Since The Story had such a great result, our lead pastor, Roger Storms,
February 14, 2014
“˜Let Us Tell You Our Story’
By Shelley Leith Christian church leaders share what happened when they committed to this plan for showing readers how the Bible fits together. What is the most biblically illiterate city in America? For one of the largest churches in the country, Christ”s Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona, the answer was a wake-up call. Executive pastor Ashley Wooldridge explains: “Here at CCV, we have a very keen and sobering understanding that we live in a completely biblically illiterate age. This especially came home to us when a recent Barna study ranked Phoenix as almost the most biblically illiterate city
February 13, 2014
Southeast Christian Church Tells ‘The Story’
By Brent Adams When one of the largest megachurches in America wanted to celebrate its 50th anniversary, leaders decided there was no better way than to point people to the message of the Bible. In summer 2011, the elders and staff at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, started planning for the church”s 50th anniversary celebration, to be held the following year. They wanted to come up with something that would deflect attention away from the rapidly growing congregation and focus, instead, on the God who has blessed the church since its humble beginnings in the basement of a tiny
January 18, 2013
Deeper Hunger for God”s Story
By Brian Mavis Eighty-five percent of American households have at least two Bibles. Eighty-five percent of Americans say they want to read their Bibles more.1 There”s an old saying, “Figures don”t lie, but liars figure.” Even so, the stats look promising, and it seems to me that Americans have the necessary ingredients””Bibles and motivation””to know God”s story better. Maybe having a deeper hunger for God”s Word isn”t “what”s next”; maybe it”s just what I wish was next. But if we listen to what people are saying, I do think it can be what”s next. In its REVEAL study, Willow Creek”s
January 17, 2013
Afraid of Change
By Mark A. Taylor Most crucial attributes of the Christian life are more easily discussed than demonstrated. All of us want to be forgiven, for example. But when wronged grievously, most of us struggle to forgive. In the same way, we laud grace, chastity, love, and perseverance. But when faced with another”s failure, our own temptation, a difficult coworker, or an overwhelming trial, how often do we react with something less than the ideal we”ve studied and taught? This disconnect between belief and behavior is universal. Realizing that sanctification is a process and not an event, we need not beat
