Thanksgiving (A poem)
I am not grateful for everything: humidity, hatred, or the vengeful vow, foam packing peanuts, blisters, the slippery slope. I’m grateful for..
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Silence is not an option, but what should we say?
Guest commentary by William Yoo In the painful aftermath of the hateful activity and horrible tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia, many Presbyterians condemned..
Preaching the Women of the Old Testament: Who They Were and Why They Matter
Lynn Japinga Westminster John Knox, 192 pages Reviewed by Deborah McKinley I am always pleased to read feminist leaning works by college..
Seasons of stewardship
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) It’s nearing the end of summer..
Running as a practice of self-care
This month we asked our bloggers to share how they are caring for their bodies and souls in the midst of the..
Church stories
A dozen years ago, Robert Reich, academic economist and secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, published a brief essay in The..
Protected: Songwriting with the Psalms (webinar replay)
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Reflections on Charlottesville: Commentary roundup
The conversation about what we need to learn from Charlottesville continues to unfold, as people around the nation look hard at what..
What’s right about Church of the Savior?
Church of the Savior — Oklahoma City We are small, but we can be a mighty force! “Mission-minded” — that’s Church of..
My star word: The surprising, vulnerable gift of compassion
Guest commentary by Peggy Grant A beautiful Christmas tradition at North Church is the giving and receiving of “star words.” Star words..
Board of Pensions lowering health care costs for seminarians
Guest commentary by Frank Spencer, president of the Board of Pensions, on lower costs for medical coverage available to seminarians. Registration with..
Gundamentalism and Where It Is Taking America
James. E. Atwood Cascade Books, 224 pages Reviewed by Walter Owensby “Gundamentalism” is not a dispassionate summary of the issues of..
A Psalm for a Stephen Minister
Make me a sentinel for your people in pain. Your world is filled with anguish. Where will you send me, speak clearly..
Finding miracles
Jane Gray Suggs’s face beams as she shows off the picture of her late husband, Forest DeWitt Suggs Jr. It is a..
Expression of Heon-Shin (commitment, dedication and sacrifice) in the context of missional Korean-American Presbyterian churches
Guest commentary by Luke Choi When the congregation of Korean Central Presbyterian Church (KCPC) in Brecksville, Ohio, a beautiful suburb south of..
Cancer is Funny: Keeping Faith in Stage-Serious Chemo
Jason Micheli Fortress Press, 189 pages Reviewed by Deborah Lewis Jason Micheli gets one thing wrong in this book: He is..
How we die is who we are
While sitting in a Catholic funeral recently, I was struck by the richness and depth of the liturgy. It said so much,..
Holistic healing: Faith, prayer and lament
What is “healing”? Doctors tend to emphasize one aspect of healing: physical healing. Counselors and therapists focus on a different aspect:..
Jermenious Buckley
“The church is someplace to go for release and spiritual comfort, but the church is actually fearful for me. Now I stay..
Guided by the confessions (20 years ago)
20 years ago — July 7-14, 1997 The Book of Confessions expressed “in different ways and at various times, the … primary..
Sunday morning stewardship ministry
One readily available opportunity for every congregation to expand and deepen its focus on stewardship development is obvious, but often resisted. And..
Who cares about the mints?
Guest commentary by Sarah Sparks-Franklin “We forgot mints! We should have mints. Proper church ladies have mints at their luncheons.” One of..
Companions: Accompanying Newcomers into Church Life and Faith
Marney Ault Wasserman Wipf & Stock, Eugene Ore. 120 pages Reviewed by Chip Andrus It is not often that a resource comes..
What’s right about First Presbyterian Church?
First Presbyterian Church — Hendersonville, Tennessee Church members have shared with me the value of having the pastor present during the..
Understanding Korean-American churches
As a Korean-American church was about to purchase a new building, its members raised a question about the future of the church...