For years, I’ve been the pastor assigned to teach about Presbyterian theology and polity to people interested in joining the congregation. I’ve..
“Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” This is the haunting refrain in the musical “Hamilton.” The question, the entire musical,..
I remember hearing a pastor once define church in a way that struck me as odd. He said, “The church is supposed..
After King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband to be killed, God sent the prophet Nathan to David...
Guest commentary by Jason Schiller I am an aspiring gardener. I love the idea of tending to and cultivating fruits, vegetables and..
Who would give birth to the god of death? Not brought forth in light, as if from clouds, but squeezed tightly into..
After more than eighty of such purple seasons, you might think there would be nothing left to look toward, get ready for...
Guest commentary by Aaron Neff I sat at the bedside of a longtime member of my congregation, who was not very responsive,..
I am supposed to be waiting for Jesus. That’s what I tell people for four weeks every November and December. “Stand guard...
Millie is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and was raised in the Moravian Church. She graduated from Davidson College with honors in psychology..
When my first-grader began school this fall, I was reminded again and again during those first weeks of the school year of..
Guest commentary by Joshua Musser Gritter Silent night, holy night Mary screams, Joseph paces back and forth. “Will the baby survive?” All..
At the 2019 NEXT Church conference, Pastor Heidi Husted Armstrong introduced her audience to the Latin phrase solvitar ambulando, which means, “it..
“Advent is not the season for fundraising. You should not have made that kind of announcement this morning!” This was the message..
When I was a kid and asked my dad for money, he would reach into his pocket before I could even finish..
Shellie Warren finished the New York City Marathon at 11:14 p.m. — 12 hours, 6 minutes and 3 seconds after she started...
Advent is a time of preparation. In the secular world, that preparation involves writing the obligatory Christmas card letter, dragging out the baking pans and hunting through the closets for a Christmas-themed sweater to wear to the party.
When caring for ministers, we stand to gain if we better understand the service and needs of bivocational pastors. I use the..
Advent has arrived and congregational life is in full swing. Music programs, Christmas pageants, angel trees and special worship services occupy our..
Guest commentary by Pam Parker Thanksgiving time and stewardship time are linked in many church calendars. If pledges come in by mid-November,..
I’d seen the documentary on Mister Rogers. I cried unashamedly in parts and noted everyone else seemed to be sniffling, too. I..
is to remember how it feels to experience belonging, to look long around a laden table and be glad to claim a..
April 20, 1999. I had been out of high school for almost a year when the country stood stunned at what unfolded..
The great jazz musician Thelonious Monk once told one of his sidemen, "You're making all the wrong mistakes!" Monk was known as..
While preaching from the Gospel of Mark, Brian K. Blount, president of Union Presbyterian Seminary, used a word in his sermon to..
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