Chris Hoke calls readers to recover the original vision of Easter in an age of mass incarceration.
Holy Week is going to look much different this year. In many ways, it will be a more joyful celebration. My congregation..
Teri McDowell Ott reflects on Shirley C. Guthrie’s quote, “There is no place – not even hell itself – where God is not present and at work with loving justice and just love.”
As I confessed to my congregation a few weeks ago, I have been engrossed by news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine...
Inside, Outside, Upside Down is the title of a children’s book written by Stan and Jan Berenstein to teach young children about..
During the first few weeks of middle school, I learned to brace for a punch in the arm every morning. “Being bullied”..
One of my spiritual practices is community organizing. I never imagined I would find God in organizing work, or that I would..
I snapped a photo of this tree Dividing my front yard from my neighbors That day was a winter in spring’s clothing..
I believe the lesson of Palm Sunday is about our tendency to confuse God’s call for humility with a call to grasp for power, writes Aaron Neff.
In 1972, I was 12 years old on a bus headed to Wooddale Junior High School in Memphis, Tennessee. The year before,..
The screams of hate against refugees, undocumented peoples, and children fuel a fire within me, I embrace the fire and release the..
Scripture tells us “Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” And while I think there is truth in..
In preaching, raising your floor is more important than your ceiling. A congregation isn't going to be shaped and formed by the..
There is glory in acting to bring about the kingdom of God; Jesus demonstrates this for the first part of his life. But as the cross demonstrates, there is glory to be found in being handed over too. — Rose Schrott Taylor
Several years ago, at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, I attended a Styberg Library lecture by Stephen Ray Jr. that..
There comes a point, halfway between the ashes and the lilies, when you stop and ask yourself “Just how did I get..
A few years ago, an independent, evangelical church slowly began taking over my small Illinois town. Led by a new charismatic male..
Beloved… Beloved, awaken my soul to your calming presence. AHH! I am NOT CALM! Beloved, I have run out of words. Really,..
Pray for the community each day. Identify community leaders with power and influence. Have a relational meeting with at least three..
Years ago, I visited a church whose pastor proudly explained that their congregation was involved in 17 mission activities and programs. There..
An experienced senior pastor told me just before my ordination in 1974 that year one of a pastorate was infatuation, year two..
I did not grow up attending church. It wasn’t until late high school that I first went to church on a regular..
Lent is a season of the liturgical year that invites us to lament the brokenness of our lives. The psalms are ideal..
Even before the pandemic, I started recording and sharing a short video each week for our congregation to introduce Sunday’s Scripture and..
Third Church called me in 2014 with the understanding that part of my work would be to redevelop mission and community outreach...
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