New college year, new excitement: Standing in the in-between
As I write this, there are emails that have not been sent, there are phone calls that have not been returned,..
Prayer for Chloe in Checkout Line #3
You are all frontline heroes, from red-eyed stockers to baggers. Still, I make a place in my heart those working the register...
Children and church in 2021
This is a picture of my daughter playing in August 2021. Some things are the same from a few years ago. She..
A prayer for the start of the school year
Merciful God, We are grateful for the resilience, innovation and determination our students, teachers, school staff, parents and administrators demonstrated and developed..
The delta variant and planning for what’s next
I think it was about this time last year that I confessed here on the Presbyterian Outlook blog that I didn’t have..
We carry ourselves wherever we go: Post-quarantine wisdom from the Desert Mothers
Quarantine is a period of social isolation to help arrest the spread of disease. Turns out, it is also apparently the time..
The Post-Quarantine Church: Six Urgent Challenges and Opportunities That Will Determine the Future of Your Congregation
Thom S. Rainer Tyndale Momemtum, 128 pages One of my favorite TV shows is “Friends.” In one episode, the character Ross buys..
On gratitude
This past year has been marked by loss: Loss of loved ones and friends, loss of community and social gatherings, loss of..
The post-pandemic church in the Great Virtuality
“What do you think is going to happen with churches after the pandemic?” To this question, prominent Christian researcher Diana Butler..
When the way forward is uncertain…
It happens every time I talk to a call center in the U.S. At some point the weary, remote-working call center employee..
Grace endures from Zion to Zoom
Guest Outlook blog by Katy Shevel Each Wednesday morning, I make a piping mug of tea, click a Zoom link and..
Please, pastors, postpone the post-pandemic pushiness
Guest commentary by Susan Presley In many parts of the United States, life is returning to some semblance of normalcy. The CDC..
“Churches” of individuals
From toilet paper stockpiling to gas hoarding to not wearing a mask when asked — we still haven’t figured out how to..
Late night hosts, you’ve got nothin’ on us pastors!
Guest commentary by Nancy Jo Dederer In mid-March 2020, late night television hosts found themselves in a new situation. No live audience. ..
Faithfulness: Churches love their neighbors and open their hearts during a pandemic year
The stories of churches serving in a pandemic year are full of faithfulness. Faithfulness not defined as unfettered success, but as..
Making a new beginning
Things are reopening in at the church I serve. Not that we were ever “closed.” Worship continued throughout the entirety of the..
The fruit of patience: God at work during a pastoral transition
In Galatians 5:22-23, I think Paul means, “The fruit of the Spirit is love” and that the other virtues he lists after..
Do no harm: Wear your mask
When I heard the newest CDC guidelines that vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks in almost every public gathering, whether..
Pomp and circumstance and COVID-19
Picture it: January 2021. Plans were made and students moved hesitantly into their housing. COVID-19 tests were given. Quarantine was required. Masks..
Care for the vulnerable: Matthew 25 and COVID-19 vaccines
Guest commentary by Erin Wise I am a hospitalist. That means that I am the physician you see when you are in..
A blessing for emerging into the world
May you know the love of the One who created you. May you sense it within your body, like a comforting and..
Get outside the box: Becoming a welcoming church during this time of reentry
Guest commentary by Tara Spuhler McCabe Thanks to COVID-19 (scratch that) … thanks to the CDC guidelines, churches get a RESET button..
A covenant to reopen
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him. (Deuteronomy 7:9)..
Unexpected grace
Nothing was working. Not getting up in the middle of the night to log into the Walgreens site. Not repeatedly checking the..
“I can be the villain”
Yes, I will admit I stole this title from the new country song by Lily Rose. The song is, of course (it’s..
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