Jordan Chamblee

Sign up for a six month free trial of The Stand Magazine! Sign Up Now If you were to ask a random person on the street to describe the life of a church, they would probably list some obvious items: Sunday gatherings, sermons, singing, special events and programs, community outreach, and charitable work. If this person were a churchgoer, they might expand the list by including small-group studies, church budgets, leadership dynamics, and overseas missions.

Sign up for a six month free trial of The Stand Magazine! Sign Up Now Many Christians find it sufficient, sometimes even pleasant, to enjoy sound doctrine, listen to preaching, hold strong convictions, and express those convictions when called upon. And these things are important and should be found in the lives of all faithful believers. But one other test of Christian faithfulness cannot be passed by simply nodding in agreement to ideals: do the people of God actually love one another?

Sign up for a six month free trial of The Stand Magazine! Sign Up Now Like many first-time parents of our generation, my wife and I used the TV to manage the chaos of a household that suddenly had children. As we were very aware of the negative effects of screen time for kids and wanted to avoid the dreaded “iPad kid” phenomenon, we were intentional about the programs allowed. Low-stimulation, calm, and uplifting was the standard, and one gem rose above all the rest: Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.