Today's Christian articles from January 2008

Today's Christian archives from January 2008

Something old, something new.(The FinePrint)
January 1, 2008... It's been 25 years since Larnelle Harris and Sandi Patty teamed up for that unforgettable duet, "More Than Wonderful." I was fairly fresh out of college and had only recently been introduced to this thing called "contemporary Christian...

Bragging on Mom.(Kids oftheKingdom)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... I recently read a story to a kindergarten class at my hometown church. I stopped reading at one point to ask, "Does anybody know what the word 'brag' means?" "Oh, I know that word!" replied a precocious little girl. "My mommy does it all the...

Going out with a bang!(Kids oftheKingdom)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... When my dad, a WWII vet, died, he had a military burial with a color guard, taps, and a 21-gun salute. A few days later, I learned from our babysitter how my 4-year-old daughter, Grace, had described the scene: "I went to a funeral. We went...

Adapting to adoption.(Kids oftheKingdom)
January 1, 2008... Our adopted son, Isaac, invited a friend to attend church with us one Sunday. His friend Zack asked Isaac, "Have you been baptized?" Isaac thought a minute, and then sagely answered, "No, I was adopted!" --Melissa Baldwin, Granger,...

Donkey woes.(Kids oftheKingdom)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Our 3-year-old daughter, Kerry, had a small role in the Christmas drama at church. She rehearsed the story over and over at home. She became Mary and her doll was Baby Jesus. She walked past me carrying the baby from her room to the den...

Big man, strong faith.(Quick Takes)(Shane Hamman )
January 1, 2008... By any measure, Shane Hamman is a big man. For the 2004 summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, this super heavy weightlifter weighed a hefty 350 pounds. He boasted a 62-inch chest with biceps just a couple inches shy of two feet in circumference....

Chocoholic chick lit.(Quick Takes)( Jo Kadlecek)(Interview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Jonna Lightfoot MacLaughlin isn't your typical character in a Christian novel. She's a struggling believer who smokes, drinks beer, and covers the religion beat for a local newspaper. Author Jo Kadlecek, whose novel A Quarter After Tuesday...

"Open the eyes of my heart": open the eyes of my heart, Lord I want to see you.(Story BehindTheSong)
January 1, 2008... Dove Award winner Paul Baloche believes the best worship songs spring from the act of worship itself. Case in point: "Open the Eyes of My Heart," birthed during prayer time at Community Christian Fellowship in Lindale, Texas, where he has...

Abandoned by God?(Everyday Theology)
January 1, 2008... Q. I was laid off from my last three jobs and am currently unemployed, deeply in debt, and about to be evicted from my home. This morning my car broke down. I know this is an attack of the enemy, but where is God? I feel like He's forgotten...

Conflicting Scriptures?(Everyday Theology)
January 1, 2008... Q. I believe that all Scripture is inspired by God and that the stories in the Bible are actually true. But as I've studied the Bible, I've found verses that seem to contradict each other (such as Prov. 26:4-5) and what appear to be very...

To coin a phrase.(Bible IQ)
January 1, 2008... People quote the Bible even when they don't realize it. A popular song a few years back repeated the line "Please forgive me, I know not what I do." Was the singer or songwriter aware of Jesus' words on the cross, "Father, forgive them, they...

Iran: telling their father's story.(Persecution Report)
January 1, 2008... Joseph Hovsepian will never forget that day in early 1994 when he was called into a local morgue to identify his his father's body. Bishop Haik Hovsepian, an evangelical Christian leader in Iran, had been stabbed 26 times in the chest, his...

Hosanna, Montana! Kids and critics are singing the praises of Hannah Montana, Disney's TV hit featuring country music star Billy Ray Cyrus and his teenage daughter Miley. Here's how they keep faith, family, and fame in perspective.
January 1, 2008... Country music star Billy Ray Cyrus is a big believer in God's plan--in the divine destiny and hope that are part of His grand design. Fitting, then, that he and his wife would name their daughter Destiny Hope. Today, that name seems...

Feeding his lambs: after a lifetime of drugs, gangs, and crime, John Sala finally found his big break in jail, of all places--an encounter that led him to Christ, to peace, and, ultimately, a powerful ministry.
January 1, 2008... By the time he was 14, John Sala was already on a path to destruction--drugs, alcohol, gangs, and crime were the hallmarks of his life. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] By the time he was 30, he had been arrested over 20 times, had overdosed...

Out over my skis: my busy life always feels like it's headed for a crash landing, so I'm slowly learning the art of being still.
January 1, 2008... Have you ever watched ski jumping, perhaps during the Olympics on TV? And have you ever seen one of the jumpers wipe out when they land, their bodies violently and painfully tumbling down the slope, arms and legs and skis flying everywhere?...

"When I was killed ...": not many people can begin a sentence with that phrase, but Don Piper, author of the best-selling 90 Minutes in Heaven, can. The pastor shares his incredible story that heaven is indeed very real.
January 1, 2008... If you want to bear God laugh, tell Him your plans. Don Piper would certainly agree with that old adage: "If I had spent my whole life as the pastor of a small church in Pasadena, Texas, that would have been fine with me." But God...

The adoption option: my search for answers to our struggle with infertility led to some surprising revelations about God's plan--especially how infertility and adoption played key roles in Bible history.
January 1, 2008... I'm a guy who likes answers. I want them now, and I want them fast. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I don't know if some personalities are better suited to dealing with infertility than others, but I do know mine...

Where are they now? Created to shine: four Christian music veterans--Larnelle Harris, Babbie Mason, and First Call's Bonnie Keen and Marty McCall--talk about fame, faith and where the journey finds them now.
January 1, 2008... Larnelle Harris, Babbie Mason, and First Call's Bonnie Keen and Marty McCall all helped pave the way for what we now know as "contemporary Christian music." But for these veterans and pioneers, all accomplished singer/songwriters and...

The last laugh.(Cartoon)
January 1, 2008... "Because I don't like unicorns--that's why!" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]