Articles for tag: Time

April 18, 2012

Christian Standard

Sacrifice and Balance in a Life of Ministry

By Mark A. Taylor Several readers wrote to thank us for our January 22 issue on preacher”s kids. Their e-mails made me realize we had touched a nerve. With preacher”s kids, as well as with preachers themselves, we live in constant tension: We want them to be everyday folks while we silently feel that, somehow really, they”re different. I thought about this again when I read an intriguing column in the February 8 Wall Street Journal by Richard Cipolla, a married Catholic priest. If you”re like me, you didn”t realize there is such a person, but Cipolla was ordained in

March 22, 2012

Christian Standard

Johnson Honors Alums Featured on TV Show

By Jennifer Taylor In January, Johnson University (Knoxville, TN) surprised Daniel and Mandy Watson with full tuition scholarships for their three children and the establishment of a scholarship fund for children in The Restoration House program. The Watsons, 2001 graduates of Johnson University, now operate The Restoration House of East Tennessee, a nonprofit organization ministering to the needs of single mothers. The organization offers transitional housing, team mentoring, and connections to social services and local resources. Families participating in the program must meet weekly with a leader to set goals, pay 30 percent of their income toward rent and utilities,

September 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Some Churches Might Qualify for Tax Refunds

By Jennifer Taylor Tom Burbrink believes tens of thousands of dollars in tax refunds are available to churches””maybe even yours! Burbrink, a tax professional specializing in service to churches and ministers, has researched the issue in light of changes made by the Affordable Care Act. The act provides federal tax refunds to small employers, and many churches and church organizations are eligible even though they pay no income taxes. To qualify for the refund, a church must have a group medical insurance plan, must pay at least 50 percent of the premium, and must offer the plan to all full-time

August 18, 2011

Christian Standard

Volunteers and Paid Staff Are in the SAME Battle

By Susan Lawrence I”ve been a paid ministry staff member and a volunteer ministry leader, and there are things we need to understand about each other. Ministry isn”t a territorial war. Our battles are side by side, not head-on. ________   I”m a volunteer. I”d like paid staff members to understand . . . I want to be included. Invite me to occasional staff planning meetings. Let me be a part of the decision-making and planning process. It keeps me motivated to do ministry. If you simply tell me what has to be done, or assume I already know, I

May 25, 2011

Christian Standard

Well Gifted

By Mark A. Taylor “What do you want for your birthday?” Believe it or not, I always have trouble answering the question. It”s not that material things don”t turn my head. But, with all my physical needs met and so many of my wants provided, nothing”s pressing for a place on my wish list. Just bake me a chocolate cake and shower me with funny cards””that”s enough to make my birthday happy. I guess I”m at that stage of life where smaller gifts””the kind usually given at birthdays””aren”t really necessary. I have more socks and shirts than I can wear

April 27, 2011

Christian Standard

Under Conviction

By Tony Twist Recently married and fresh from seminary, Suzanne and I began our ministry with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1979. It so happened that the Billy Graham Crusade came to Indianapolis in 1980, and Suzanne was tapped to work in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association office. One thing she learned from the crusade team was to pray over everything. So, she determined to bring this practice home. The evening we decided to have devotions together, rather than at separate times, was a beginning for us. And a disaster. As we knelt beside the bed

March 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Clearing a Path to Life

By Mark A. Taylor Maybe by the time you read this, the threat of major snowfall in your community will have passed. And if you live in Derry, New Hampshire, maybe your city workers have resumed digging graves. Derry town administrator Jack Anderson told reporters February 7 the Forest Hills Cemetery would probably be closed for four weeks, its frozen acres buried under too much ice and snow to make digging new graves possible. This is because the gravediggers in Derry also drive the small town”s snowplows. And, given the onslaught of this winter”s storms, there just wasn”t manpower to

January 1, 2011

Christian Standard

Playing It Forward for Families, Churches

By Jennifer Taylor The team from Cartwheels & Coffee has been asked to open new locations in Colorado, Kentucky, and even Portugal. “The best ideas come from creative solutions to problems,” says Chris Barras, lead pastor at Area 10 Faith Community (Richmond, Virginia). The idea was doubling the use of a rented space to both minimize costs and maximize community engagement. When Barras and his team planted Area 10 in 2008, they were fortunate to score the famous Byrd Theatre as a meeting place. But the location had no room for a children”s ministry. “We wanted to have low overhead

December 8, 2010

Christian Standard

“˜Making a Mess” Book a Finalist for Cover Design Award

Standard Publishing’s new book, Making a Mess and Meeting God, is one of three finalists for the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association 2010 Book Covers Award in the small publishers category. The book, written by Mandy Smith, helps readers discover new and deeper ways ordinary activities and daily life can teach us about God. Winners will be announced in a free webinar next Tuesday, Dec. 14, at 11 a.m. Eastern time.

January 17, 2010

Christian Standard

The Lost Art of Encouragement

By Terrie Todd As I left my employment with the church””after 25 years as administrative assistant, drama director, communications director, and finally director of creative arts””I was cleaning out my office. Among the items I packed up and took home with me was a basket filled with various encouragement cards and notes I”d received over the years. Some of them are more than 10 years old, some are e-mails I”d printed, some are hilarious, and some move me to tears. They came from people I led, people I followed, people close to me, and people I barely know. But each

July 5, 2009

Christian Standard

A Test of Our Times

  By Rod Roberts The opening sentence of Charles Dickens”s A Tale of Two Cities describes the era of the French Revolution: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” That well-known literary line underscores why leaders need to discern the times in which they live. Had Louis XVI understood this crucial leadership principle, he may have avoided the distinction of being the only king of France to be executed. Do you ever consider how important the times today may be to the flow of human history? Even Scripture underscores the importance of understanding the times

June 7, 2009

Christian Standard

A Single Mom”s Story

  By Nancy Karpenske What are they like, the single moms who participate in Surviving & Thriving as a Single Mom, LifeBridge Christian Church”s ministry to single moms? Here is a composite sample: J.C. is the typical single mom. She is nearing 40. Her husband found someone else and left. He is supposed to pay child support but rarely does. J.C. was a stay-at-home mom. Her job skills are limited. She works at a preschool so her younger child can be with her. She works 9 am to 3 pm so she can pick up her older son from elementary

January 21, 2009

Christian Standard

Notes From a Trip to a Place I Never Thought I”d Visit

By Mark A. Taylor The notion of visiting the nation of Jordan had never entered my mind. But now that I”ve gone, I”d recommend the trip to anyone. In eight days last November, almost 20 Christian writers, editors, and reporters had the chance to taste the delights of Jordan in a tour arranged just for us. For many it was a first-time visit. For most, it won”t be the last. Many readers of Christian Standard might wonder whether to include a visit to Jordan in a Holy Land tour itinerary. Definitely, I”d say, “Go there!” Visit to see biblical sites

September 2, 2007

Christian Standard

At the Foot of the Cross

By Lee Magness You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8). There they stood at the foot of the cross, stood not kneeled, priests and scribes, their eyes squinting to slits in the noonday sun, squinting like the sightless pretending to see. They were blinded by years of looking through

October 29, 2006

Christian Standard

ORDINATION (Part 2): Assessing Candidates

This article is no longer available online, but the entire three-part series is available for purchase as a downloadable resource/pdf. Ordination Item 02971  “¢Â  $2.99 Ordination needn”t be a mystery, but it should not be undertaken thoughtlessly. This six-page resource, originally a three-part series in CHRISTIAN STANDARD, explores ordination with an eye toward helping individuals, churches, and God”s kingdom. “¢ J. Michael Shannon makes a case for why ordination is practical and sensible for individuals desiring a lifetime of service in the Lord”˜s church. “¢ Paige Mathews considers a process for assessing the person who wants to be ordained. “¢

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