God is love (1 John 4:16). The Bible says "God is love,” meaning love is God’s essence. God does not only “possess” love or "will” love, but rather God loves. Period. Even if we violate God's will or disappoint, God still loves us. This is the God Jesus revealed to us. It is the loving and tolerant father of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. The Prodigal Son tells the story of a young son who asked his father to disburse the family inheritance. Upon receiving his share, he took off to a faraway land. In the following years, he squandered the money and lived an indulged life until penniless and abandoned. When the destitute young man succumbed to eating pig feed, he realized that even the servants in his father’s household fared better. So, he decided to return home and offered himself as a servant. Based on the cultural norms of the time, the younger son committed several offenses. First, he asked for his inheritance when his parents were still alive. Such a request was … [Read more...]
When church transitions collide with social media
Guest commentary by Kim Douglass Marin When my grandfather accepted a new call 75 years ago, the goodbyes and welcomes were private. Probably both churches had cake and punch in their respective fellowship halls. If anyone was upset by his departure, those feelings were expressed in quiet narthex corners or in late night phone calls. If anyone was thrilled that he was joining their congregation, those joys largely would’ve been shared privately as well. Not much had changed by the time my college bestie accepted a call 20 years ago: As she put it, “You left a church, and someone in that congregation might visit the other town and stop in at your new church and report back.” But the congregations largely were separate: The grieving, gossiping and giddiness stayed local. That’s not the case anymore. Social media has changed how churches share and process news of transitions. And like everything related to the internet, this has presented great opportunities as well as troubling … [Read more...]
Faith
I called faith a gold-trimmed Gospel, a half-note suspension resolved in hymnic harmony, rehearsed prayers punctuated with perfect gasps and laughter, old tome imprisoned in an heirloom pulpit and marked with slight scratches from years’ wear and tear only visible to guests who squint. But it spills Communion wine into dresses and stains. It stings eyes, nostrils, singes an amateur’s hair. It flies into mouths as you sputter, sits in the chest till you’re coughing wildly and everyone in your pew turns to stare. It ties your legs up and trips you, it swallows footprints whole. There’s the second after you stir and realize what you dreamt. Awake, you grasp gifts from familiar symbols, inventing vocabularies for stumbling litanies, baptismal vows, wild stories evading substantiation. It is faith in everything you cannot see & despite all you do. Amy Cerniglia is the director of music and arts at Peace Presbyterian Church in Bradenton, Florida. A … [Read more...]
Guns and the gospel: A personal perspective
Guest commentary by Paul Watermulder “And a little child shall lead them,” we read in Scripture. Or in the words of Jesus himself, “out of the mouths of babes and infants” comes the truth. Across our land, students, teachers, families, police officers, social workers and pew-sitting Christians are in an uproar about America’s lack of effective control of abuse of guns. Adults have debated and argued the matter through the killings and the attempted assassinations of presidents, congressional leaders, judges, civil rights advocates, police, teachers, gang members, innocent bystanders and innumerable victims of spousal abuse. But the parade of shocking injustices against the innocent has continued. It has been laid at the feet of the mental health community, of politicians, of hunters, of terrorists, of the political left and the political right — to no significant avail. But now it’s the kids. Last year saw our children and grandchildren picking up where we have dropped the … [Read more...]
Presbyterian Youth Triennium: Small steps lead to giant leaps
Guest commentary by Jody Mask As I write this, people all over America are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first steps taken on the moon. Neil Armstrong is immortalized for having taken those steps, and for marking it with one of the most well-known statements of the current age: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” In the week leading up to this celebration, over 4,000 Presbyterian youth, adult advisors, small group leaders, work crews, invited preachers and other musical and worship leaders landed on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, for the Presbyterian Youth Triennium 2019. I arrived as an adult advisor for Central Florida Presbytery for my second consecutive Triennium. Though most of us came from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), we met with a small-but-mighty contingent from our siblings in the Cumberland Presbyterian churches. Our theme this year, “Here’s My Heart,” comes from the beloved hymn “Come Thou Fount of … [Read more...]
Aladdin: For such a time as this
Guest commentary by Liz Rasley The new live-action movie “Aladdin” isn’t a new story at all. It’s an old story (even older than the 1990s, if one can imagine back that far) and is based on the tale“The Arabian Nights”from the 18th century. The 2019 “Aladdin” is re-told again by Disney and fitted for the times, including an updated storyline and the addition of several compelling characters. Disney and director Guy Ritchie also revamped a bit of story to add in several scenes and characters that complete “Aladdin” with a fresh spin for modern audiences. While bits and parts are updated, much of the story remains the same. Lovable street urchin Aladdin (Mena Massoud), is a sort of Peter Pan in the Arabian world and steals so he and his monkey (and other poor he meets along the way) can eat. In the midst of trying to secure food for himself, Aladdin runs into Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott), who is undercover as a commoner from the royal court. Princess Jasmine sneaks out of the … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 242
- Next Page »
Tweet With Us
Be A Facebook Fan
Our World in Photos
Pin With Us