Tenth Sunday after Pentecost — August 6, 2023
Dana Moulds reflects on "willingness" and Jesus' feeding of the 5,000 in Matthew.
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Order of worship — August 6, 2023
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
“Called to freedom” (August 6, 2023)
How do we know we're doing good? Rose Schrott Taylor looks at Galatians 5:13-26.
Contagious generosity — Weekly Christian ed lesson
In this lesson, children will explore Matthew 14:13-21 noticing examples of generosity and then they will wonder about how they might extend and enact this same generosity in their own lives.
Texas Baptists affirm women in ‘ministerial’ roles as SBC debate moves to states
In the same week as the Texas Baptists’ meeting, Black leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention and SBC President Bart Barber met over similar issues in Ridgecrest, North Carolina.
Read a book!
"Books ... are the written words that guide us, walk alongside us, encourage, and challenge us to think compassionately, to think bigger, to think in a way that includes the 'other.'" — Nadine Ellsworth-Moran
Children of God Storybook Bible
Jo Wiersema and Amy Pagliarella review Desmond Tutu's Children of God Storybook Bible. Read the pros and the cons.
Families of Covenant School students announce two nonprofits to promote school safety and reduce gun violence
"In the most devastating and painful season of our lives, we are rebuilding with a sense of purpose and hope for a future free from gun violence."
77 faith groups get total of $92 million for innovative faith programs for children
'Whether it's fragmentation, technological advances or spirituality, we need to refresh the traditional approaches to our faith,’ said one grant recipient.
Books briefly noted: Fiction
Some recent pieces of fiction that you should add to your "to read" list.
Sabbath as a palace in time
Aaron Neff reflects on sabbath in conversations with parents and a rabbi.
Ancient Echoes: Refusing the Fear-Filled, Greed-Driven Toxicity of the Far Right
"Brueggemann’s goal is to make the case that the Bible, although ancient, is still relevant for our situation today." — Keith Curl-Dove
The Rev. Steve Pieters, who changed minds about AIDS, dies at 70
His vanguard interview with Tammy Faye Messner (Bakker at the time) aired in an era when fear and false information about HIV/AIDS ran rampant in conservative Christian communities.
Asking the better questions
Reporter Erin Dunigan speaks about the 2023 PC(USA) statistical report with denominational leader Lee Hinson-Hasty.
“Neither fear nor courage saves us”
Reflecting on T.S. Eliot’s “Gerontion” in light of a family health scare, Jenny Lee discovers a way forward through faithfulness — to God and to each other.
Few worship leaders avoid Hillsong, Bethel songs — despite controversies and scandal
A new study looked at how worship leaders pick music for services — at a time when a handful of megachurches dominate the market.
Books briefly noted: Religious non-fiction
Book Review Editor Amy Pagliarella highlights several religious non-fiction books to add to your list.
Closing a church faithfully
Doug Basler answered a call in 2020 to help revitalize a church. His true mission became a litany to leading – lovingly and faithfully – the letting go.
Sit in the Sun And Other Lessons in the Spiritual Wisdom of Cats
What can we learn from cats?
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost — July 30, 2023
The kingdom of heaven allows us to see our ordinary lives in extraordinary ways, Jo Wiersema writes, reflecting on Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52.
Playing with parables — Weekly Christian ed lesson
In this lesson, children will explore the parable genre and will wonder about several short parables offered in the Gospel of Matthew.
Three parables: Finding and gathering (July 30, 2023)
What if we viewed the three parables in Matthew 13:44-52 through the eyes of a child, Mark Hinds wonders?
Order of worship — July 30, 2023
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Rebecca Todd Peters is on a mission to get churches to talk about abortion
A Presbyterian minister and scholar is working to shift the cultural paradigm that abortion is sin.
Practicing Christians, Practical Atheists: How Cultural Liturgies and Everyday Social Practices Shape the Christian Life
"Davignon offers a blanket critique … (h)e views the modern world so negatively that he even critiques congregations that utilize secular tools such as social media to promote their ministries." — Jo Wiersema
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