FEATURES

• "We Always Had Hope," by Kay Browning. How do you run a school in the middle of a war? In an interview with principal Abdo Khanashot and assistant principal Marlene Mouchantaf, they share their answer: "We always had hope."

• "The Birth of a Bible School," by Donald Reed. The years of civil war in Lebanon have temporarily closed the Nazarene Bible School building in Beirut. But the training for ministry goes on. Eastern Mediterranean Nazarene Bible College is continuing Nazarene education begun in the Middle East almost half a century ago.

• "Deep Impact," by Jirair S. Tashjian. Armenians fleeing Turkish religious persecution, a desperate need for an Evangelical school and church, and the ministry of a Nazarene evangelist came together to bring this family to Christ and to the Church of the Nazarene.

• "New Truth" by Pat Stockett Johnston. God's continuous work in the Middle East is shown in this story of a Moabite woman finding NEW TRUTH.

• "Challenge: The Connected Church," by R. Franklin Cook. The year 2000 arrived in a symphony of change - social and technological change that becomes more global by the minute. When Holiness Today asked for key challenges faced by the Church of the Nazarene in the 21st century, globalization emerged near the top of the list. Globalization is no longer an option. It is to be managed, not rejected. How, then, do we manage it - especially in the church? How are we all connected, and how can we respond to the changes it will inevitably bring to the Church of the Nazarene?

COLUMNS

• Commission: "Change Your Life - Not Your Lifestyle," by John A. Knight. Christian faith transforms us internally and profoundly and, in so doing, effects change in our daily lives.

• Editor's Forum: This month's panel of experts answers questions about the meaning of "paradise" and the number of Wesleyan hymns in the Nazarene hymnal.

• Touching: "Compassionate Worship," by Jerry L. Appleby. Our worship must go beyond praying, singing, tithing, taking part in the sacraments, or even fasting if we expect God's blessings on our lives. Compassionate churches develop as Christians gather to worship and remember the overwhelming needs of the community within arm's length of the church building.

• The Deeper Way: "Living Our Worship," by Jesse C. Middendorf. While we may prefer different styles, and while we worship in a variety of cultural settings and languages, building styles and locations, and church sizes, Holiness people are committed to keeping life and worship in tandem. Those committed to the deeper life are unapologetic in their insistence that worship be an extension of living and that living be an extension of worship.

• Metro: "Move Over Los Angeles!" by Fletcher L. Tink. The first Nazarenes were an audacious lot who, in their holy euphoria, dared to bite off a big urban chunk of vision. But there is another church that may have "out-Bresee-ed" even founder P. F. Bresee's vision for Los Angeles First Church.

• Worldview: "The Red Crosses," by Merrill Williams. Across the street, around the corner, across the ocean, around the world, Jesus-believing people will lift Him up. There is no place in the world where Jesus is not Savior.

• Portraits: "Janine Metcalf: Getting Past Potlucks," by Dean Nelson. It wasn't long before Janine realized that she was putting into practice God's direct call on her life. This, she realized, was ministry to seniors.

• Family Tree: "Grow Up!" by Rick and Bonnie Ryding. We all grow up physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. But we don't all grow up well. What does it mean to be childlike and not childish?

• In the Mirror: "Grab Those Popsicle Sticks! It's VBS Craft Time!" by Mark Reighard. Never in the history of art were so many bottles, buttons, cans, crayons, boxes, pencils, pens and markers, ribbons, and scripture verses assembled for such a cause as teaching biblical principles through artistic interpretation.

• Heartbeat: "A Legacy of Communications," by Michael R. Estep. The name Richard Zanner is synonymous with this denomination's efforts to be a global church.

• Essay: "Decaffeinated Christianity," by Jeff Crosno. He was dead, then He arose, and now all bets are off. Whatever that means in actuality, it's as plain as sunrise that resurrection is the heaviest lifting we'll ever see.

COMING IN MAY - "PRIMER II: A CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW"

• "Developing a Christian Worldview" by Al Truesdale. Through the Lordship of the Holy Spirit, Christians can and should view every aspect of life differently from the world. Developing a Christian worldview will require that we submit all of life's components to examination and reformation by the resurrected Christ. No realm of life is excluded - individual and corporate, natural and technological, secular and sacred. Here are four steps in the process of developing a Christian worldview that must be intentional, reflective, and sustained.