The joy and sadness of Holy Week
Holy Week invites us to hold joy and sadness together—reminding us that Easter’s hope is richer when we don’t skip past the sorrow that precedes it, writes Maggie Alsup.
More Stories from this Author
I have a question: Embracing wonder and curiosity in faith
Maggie Alsup explores how childlike wonder deepens faith and sparks joy.
The theology of a sticker: love, belonging, and the space we create
Maggie Alsup shares how an office door covered in stickers became a testament to God's inclusive love and a reminder that small messages can make a big impact.
All is not calm: Surviving Advent and looking for John
In a busy season, the prophet John helps Maggie Alsup organize her to-do list.
Lessons from a losing season: A chaplain’s perspective
Sometimes, the biggest victories come off the field, writes chaplain Maggie Alsup.
Heaven at a softball tailgate
To Maggie Alsup, the kingdom of God looks like a tailgate of rivals in Oklahoma City — everyone pulling up a chair and grabbing a plate of food.
Embracing belligerent hospitality: Moving beyond welcome to community building
When there is so much division and strife in our day-to-day, we need something more than radical hospitality to bind us. We need what I call belligerent hospitality, writes Maggie Alsup.
ChatGPT is here. There is no going back.
Mentioning AI on college campuses can earn you a monologue on academic integrity, but we can only move forward, writes college chaplain Maggie Alsup.
Embracing change: College ministry lessons for the larger church
College ministry completely changes every four years. Perhaps there's a lesson here for the larger church to learn, writes Maggie Alsup.
Love’s defiant song
How can the peace offered by God and the chaos of the world exist at the same time, wonders Maggie Alsup?
Creativity births spiritual community
College chaplain Maggie Alsup is known around campus for the art projects she includes in chapel.
Four questions to ask yourself when writing inclusive prayers
Maggie Alsup offers four tips to craft prayers for multi-faith spaces.
Crafting communal prayers
College chaplain Maggie Alsup reflects on the impact of writing prayers for a diverse community.
A reading recommendation for overthinkers
Maggie Alsup shares a resource she has found helpful in addressing her anxiety and ministering to college students as they wrestle with their own mental health.
The intentionality of sabbath
“When we welcome sabbath, we welcome the holy,” writes Maggie Alsup.
Can the church hold on to pandemic-inspired innovation?
Maggie Alsup wonders if we should resist the urge to “go back to normal.”
What the church of my childhood taught me about love
Margaret Alsup remembers the lessons she learned as a child in church.
May your incompleteness awaken you
After grieving the deaths of several students, college chaplain Maggie Alsup finds that Ash Wednesday offers a release for students.
I’m going on a journey
College chaplain Maggie Alsup shares how pilgrimage can look like exploring thoughts and ideas with students.
Living epiphany
Maggie Alsup invites us to remember the moment of now.
Let’s not skip Advent
When life gets hectic, Advent invites us to slow down. We all need that, writes Maggie Alsup.
Let’s talk about sex
College chaplain Maggie Alsup on providing safe spaces for students to explore the language of sexuality.
Anxiety and education: “This moment does not define you”
College chaplain Maggie Alsup reflects on how her anxiety followed her throughout her education and the kindness of certain teachers that granted her perspective.
Models in ministry
College chaplain Maggie Alsup remembers with gratitude the chaplain and pastor, both women, who shepherded her through her college years. They stand as models for the call she now feels in her life.
Praying with popsicle sticks
Lyon College Chaplain Maggie Alsup shares her ritual before each fall semester.