For all of us, and perhaps especially for families with children, the past months of pandemic and political challenges have been difficult...
As I looked over the bulletin in my office, I heard the faint sound of our front doorbell ringing. I have missed..
I had some terrific Sunday school teachers when I was a child at First Presbyterian Church in Woodstock, Illinois. Well, until my..
Guest commentary by Elizabeth Lovell Milford “You give them something to eat.” This is the simple instruction Jesus gives his disciples in..
Most of the students I’ve taught over the years were in their 30s or 40s when they entered seminary, each and every..
As I prepared to write this article, I was trying to find my work journal from 2019. When I transitioned into full-time..
My journey into the art of spiritual direction began, surprisingly enough, in the Texas Hill Country. I was a newly minted pastor..
When I was in college, my campus chaplain was someone who was influential beyond words in my spiritual direction. She was the..
I recently began meeting with a new spiritual director. At the beginning of our session, she asked if I would like to..
Guest commentary by Cliff Stewart Next year will mark a century of ministry at the Presbyterian Buffalo Gap Encampment in Texas! The..
I’m a 32-year-old pastor serving a wonderful congregation in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the time of this writing, I have..
When I was growing up, I assumed all childhoods were like mine. What else did I know? I assumed every child had..
Collegiate ministry encompasses all areas of young adults’ lives. Campus chaplains invite students into practices of hospitality, exploration, community and service, and..
Thin places In the summer of 2004, I traveled for two months in Scotland. Six of those weeks were spent volunteering with..
Spiritual direction saved my ministry! In the early 1990s, I “hit the wall” and entered a program in spiritual direction through Oasis..
Guest commentary by Aaron Neff Shortly after Epiphany, my family took down our Christmas tree. It was a sad affair for my..
This stark primordial dust fresh imposed between my eyes this February day fades swiftly and is gone, no necessity to rub or..
Ash Wednesday is always a big day for the Lyon College campus. It’s a day that our students look forward to for..
Peter Steinke, the noted author, congregational systems consultant and professor, died unexpectedly at home on Monday, July 6, 2020. I learned of..
I did not grow up receiving ashes at the start of Lent. My first exposure to the blackened sign of the cross..
Ordination and ministry may seem like a strange tension — one not really “tense” at all. After all, isn’t “ministry” what those..
Guest commentary by Beth Ricanati and Chris Carson A Christian and a Jew bake sacred bread together. They do so distanced; the..
You have to be with someone long enough. You have to see someone closely enough. You have to listen – not speak..
For what am I most grateful? For what am I least grateful? The daily examen has become one of the core tenants..
I don’t remember the first time someone told me that Catholics believe that priests have a special divine connection to God, but..
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