When it comes to the future of the church, it's tempting to put our heads in the sand, writes Rebecca Gresham. Let's be honest about the decline of mainline religion — and that God is still present and active.
From apples to sunflower seeds to a small daughter's blessing.
College chaplain Maggie Alsup reflects on the impact of writing prayers for a diverse community.
Reading the Bible used to feel like a drag to Walter Canter. He found reinvigorated joy when he let his curiosity, and the Holy Spirit, guide him.
After tending to her sick mother, New Testament scholar Kathleen Gallagher Elkins finds that Job’s friends are more relatable than they once seemed.
During an interfaith gathering, Ashley Brown was introduced to sabbath in a new way.
Nature melts away our differences, writes Aaron Neff. We are all in need of this type of healing.
In a world with seemingly unlimited books on church decline and innovation, what are pastors to do?
"O Lord, if you were to head upstairs, beware the Lego landmines on the carpet ... "
Rose Schrott Taylor tours the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, the day she learns about the death of Tyre Nichols. As a result, she reflects on the 60th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, the stories we tell ourselves, and repeating patterns.
When selecting books, Karie Charlton typically picks what she should be reading — usually a book for work. Whether it’s a book crawl or pretending she’s a kid at a Scholastic Book Fair, here are some ways she’s trying to read for fun.
Sarah Are Speed explains four reasons people return to Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church's chapel service every Sunday.
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.
Jo Wiersema, a University of Dubuque Theological Seminary alum and bartender, shares their ministry behind the bar. Sometimes, they write, you can find the love of God next to a pint of beer.
A poem for those affected by Monday's shooting at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Phillip Blackburn encourages rural churches to embrace the start of the school year. Can we learn something new, too?
K. Marie Mainard O’Connell recommends "The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and the World" by Desmond and Mpho Tutu. "It is time to start forgiving the church — and ourselves," writes the pastor.
God meets us when we are at our lowest, shares Colin Farmer in a personal essay.
David Bonnema, pastor of Unity Presbyterian Church, shares the mutual learning and growth they found while partnering with a family of Afghan refugees.
After a season of upheaval, Katy Shevel reflects on what it means to reclaim something.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman learns about his great-uncle's experience as a soldier in WWII and reflects on the habitual nature of hardship — and grace.
The work of interim pastors is not often appreciated, but it is necessary.
At a young age, Union Presbyterian Seminary student Amanda Shanks felt a call to ministry. Having no model for female leadership in the church, she ignored it until two years ago. What changed?
Outlook intern Colin Farmer shares how he sometimes feels alone in his desire to end hate and corruption. Yet, even the prophets, he remembers, are called to love their neighbors.
A poem-prayer for waning seasons and bittersweet changes by Shannon Beck.
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