Today's Christian articles from July 2004

Today's Christian archives from July 2004

15 reasons to praise God.(The FinePrint)
July 1, 2004... I was home from college one Saturday, and my dad took me to a cluttered salvage yard to find a part for my old AMC Hornet (that's a now-extinct automobile, in case you're wondering). I remember feeling particularly dejected that weekend about...

The flea market Bible.(Quick Takes on People, News & Reviews)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Sometimes God's surprises are stranger than fiction. Just ask Rachel and Andy Engebretsen of St. Paul, Minnesota. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Back in 1999, the Engebretsens were vacationing at their summer cabin in Balsam Lake, Wisconsin,...

Can Science prove the Red Sea miracle?(Quick Takes on People, News & Reviews)
July 1, 2004... Most people are familiar with the parting of the Red Sea, either from the biblical account (Exodus 14:21-31) or from the spectacular sequence in Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 movie classic The Ten Commandments. But now, two Russian scientists have...

Starting small.(Quick Takes on People, News & Reviews)(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
July 1, 2004... "Shortly after I was saved and I knew that God had called me to serve others, I went to the pastor of my church and said, 'Please find a place to use me.' He handed me a broom and a mop." --Paula White, who is now an evangelist and...

How Sweet the Sound.(Books)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... How Sweet the Sound by George Beverly Shea (Tyndale, $16.99) For more than 50 years the booming bass voice of George Beverly Shea has been synonymous with evangelist Billy Graham's crusades. A national treasure, Shea has piled up all...

Cracking Da Vinci's Code.(Books)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Cracking Da Vinci's Code by James L. Garlow & Peter Jones (Victor, $14.99) More than 6 million copies of Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code, have been sold. Fans have eagerly followed the exploits of Professor Robert Langdon as he...

A Delirious Summer.(Books)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... A Delirious Summer by Ray Blackston (Revell, $12.99) This sequel to Blackston's hugely successful debut novel, Flabbergasted, is a delight. A sweet, meandering beach read, A Delirious Summer follows the trials and tribulations of...

Refined by Fire.(Books)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Refined by Fire LTC (Ret) Brian Birdwell & Mel Birdwell w/ Ginger Kolbaba (Tyndale House, $12.99) Most of us can remember with astonishing clarity the moment we saw the second hijacked airliner slam into the World Trade Center. The...

Gentle Grace.(Music)(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2004... Gentle Grace by Kathie Lee Gifford (Maranatha!) Kathie Lee Gifford has one of the most recognizable faces on the planet. An entertainer, author, and recording artist, Gifford seems to have lived a storybook life, complete with wicked...

The Christ: His Passion.(Music)(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2004... The Christ: His Passion Various Artists (Essential) This first release in a trilogy celebrating the birth, life, and Passion of our Lord is surprisingly dispassionate. Though not officially tied to Mel Gibson's The Passion of the...

Live From Another Level.(Music)(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2004... Live From Another Level by Israel and New Breed (Integrity Gospel) Young worship leader Israel Houghton generates excitement just by stepping on stage, but when backed by the talented musicians and singers of New Breed, the effect is...

Hiding Place.(Music)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2004... Hiding Place by Selah (Curb) With their raw vocal harmonies, Selah set the music community on its collective ear back in 1999 with their Dove Award-winning debut. Hiding Place, the band's fourth album, may not be as "back to basics"...

Getting real about alcohol.(Everday Theology)
July 1, 2004... Q. I come from a good family and have always worshiped God. But as I got older I started drifting away. I have a problem with alcohol. I am a diabetic and should not be drinking. Once I was able to stop for four months, but as soon as I...

The Master's Moves.(Everday Theology)(today's christian services)
July 1, 2004... Q. Why do people say, "God spared this person"? I heard this a lot after 9/11. Why would God "spare" one person over another? --Linda McCulloch, Colorado Springs, Colorado A Isn't that a funny thing to say? If someone escapes an...

Joseph Scriven's: "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"; What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!(Story BehindtheSong)
July 1, 2004... More than a century ago, on the streets of Port Hope, Ontario, a man could be seen walking along carrying a saw and a sawhorse. One day a rich man from across the street saw him and said to a friend, "He looks like a sober man. I think I'll...

Dolly Sanchez: winning the race; HIV has not stopped her from living out her faith.(15 Believers Everyone Should Know)(Cover Story)
July 1, 2004... Nowadays, too many people become famous for trivial reasons: appearing on a reality show, being born into a wealthy family, wearing revealing outfits. The list goes on. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Too often, our heroes are not the people...

Ron and Alpha Goombi: missionaries to America; Bringing spiritual hope to Native American reservations.(15 Believers Everyone Should Know)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Alpha Goombi wanted to be the first Native American actress to win an Academy Award. Her husband Ron wanted to be a successful businessman. God had a different plan. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Today Ron Goombi (pronounced goom-BYE) is...

Akiane Kramarik: dream child; This 9-year-old prodigy, who says God shows her what to paint, is using her gift to help the needy.
July 1, 2004... Akiane Kramarik is a young prodigy from Sandpoint, Idaho, who has been drawing and painting lifelike artwork since she was 4. Akiane (pronounced ah-KEE-ah-nah) says she first met God when she was 3. And now she's hoping to use her amazing...

Donald Cole: the people's pastor; The remarkable radio ministry of a Bible answer man.
July 1, 2004... At the age of 81 he calls himself a broken-down missionary. But Don Cole is far from broken down. And he's still a man with a mission. Since 1971 he has been the radio pastor for the Moody Broadcasting Network. For the tens of thousands who...

Ten Shekel Shirt: fighting injustice; These four bandmates are doing more than just singing about God's love.
July 1, 2004... Ten Shekel Shirt is a Christian rock band on a mission--and not just a musical one. They first hit it big in 2001 with their self-titled debut album. Last year, their second album, Risk, garnered even more acclaim. The group's sound is fresh...

Grandma Lillie Carraway: an unlikely missionary; This onetime inner-city minister is now on a mission to Nigeria.
July 1, 2004... Lillie Carraway is a 71-year-old missionary to Nigeria who teaches sexual purity to teenagers. She's proof that it's never too late to gather up your life lessons and use them to serve God and others. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lillie's...

Anne Beiler: a twist of faith; The entrepreneur behind Auntie Anne's Pretzels marvels at how God redeemed her tragic loss.
July 1, 2004... Anne F. Beiler's life went into a tailspin after the death of her 19-month-old daughter, who was run over by a farm tractor in 1975. Anne, in her mid-20s at the time, found herself depressed and eventually on the brink of suicide. Despite...

Gary Wang: building hope; A Christian architect's blueprint for urban renewal.
July 1, 2004... Architect Gary Wang did in six months what the city of Chicago had been unable to do for almost 60 years--he helped bring hope to the children of Cabrini-Green, an impoverished public-housing project near the city's downtown. ...

Clayton Lillard: the teen humanitarian; Why all he ever wants for Christmas are broken bicycles.
July 1, 2004... Four years ago, while walking in his San Antonio neighborhood, Clayton Lillard found two scratched bikes piled on top of brush and awaiting trash pickup. Immediately he was struck with an idea: Why not fix these bikes--and others--and give...

Fred Caldwell: paying the price for unity; This African American pastor made headlines--and a powerful statement--when he offered whites cash to attend his church.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... For Bishop Fred Caldwell, pastor of Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Baptist Church, Jesus' parable of paying the vineyard workers (Matt. 20) was divine inspiration for integrating his black congregation in Shreveport, Louisiana. Last summer, he...

Claire Hagen: serving in dark corners; The simple yet complicated ministry of a local bartender.
July 1, 2004... Lee's Liquor Bar is a simple, camel brown storefront in downtown Minneapolis with an art deco neon sign, lots of cigarette smoke, and songs like "Blue Bayou" pouring out of the eaves. It's the sort of bar that was prevalent on skid rows...

Faking church: do we really want to serve God--or is it more rewarding to just look the part?
July 1, 2004... Ned sits down next to his wife, Tanya, in the church his family has called home for many years. He smiles, waves, jokes, and engages in friendly banter with everyone around him. He is a fixture in the church, having been involved in...

The car thief: Johnny didn't think God could use an ex-con like him.
July 1, 2004... Johnny's career in the car stealing business started early, at age 15. By the time he was 20 he had become a professional car thief. He made a lot of money, but ended up spending it all on lawyers. Even professional thieves get caught. But...

The world's fastest teenager: Olympic hopeful Allyson Felix is running for god's glory.
July 1, 2004... Allyson Felix is the fastest teenager on the planet, at least among the teenagers who run track. At 18, her resume is already quite impressive. She posted the fastest time ever for a teen girl in the 200-meter dash--an astounding 22.11...

Heart of gold: as Olympic diving champion Laura Wilkinson prepares for competition in Athens, she's more certain than ever about God's place in her life.
July 1, 2004... "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It's been four years since a teary-eyed Laura Wilkinson recited those words before an international TV audience after twisting and tumbling from a 10-meter diving platform to win an...

The gift of unanswered prayer: sometimes God's "no" is exactly what we need.
July 1, 2004... It is every mother's worst nightmare. Her 3-year-old son, Kostya, is dying of an incurable disease. The mother believes that God can heal her little boy. She alternates agonizingly between hope and despair, fighting and giving up. Still, she...

Life after 'Left Behind': now that the "final" book in his popular end-times series is out, Jerry Jenkins is ready to make an even greater impact on the culture.
July 1, 2004... When best-selling author Jerry Jenkins is working on a new book, he could very well be a character in one of his own suspense novels, holed up in some undisclosed location. He conducted the interview for this article via e-mail from what he...

Sudan: where Christians are caught in the crossfire.(Persecution Report)(Ngor)
July 1, 2004... Ngor (not his real name) was a soldier in the southern Sudan army. He recalls a time when the fighting was severe: "Bombs exploded everywhere around us. Some of my colleagues died, and I was wounded. Miraculously, I was spared." Ngor...

Go fish!(Bible IQ)
July 1, 2004... For many people, summer just wouldn't be complete without a visit to their favorite lake, river, or ocean fishing spot. In honor of the season, here are some questions to test your knowledge of God's finny creatures. [ILLUSTRATION...

What is your favorite bible translation?(Bible IQ)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... 36% New International Version 18% King James Version 12% New American Standard 12% New King James 10% New...

Mary chambers' extreme makeover.(The LastLaugh)(Illustration)
July 1, 2004... Before [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After O.K. Mary still looks pretty much like she did in her "before," but inwardly the transformation moves toward complete perfection. She can't wait for her final "reveal."