by Bill Rowley | Dec 26, 2023 | Book Reviews
Books offer wisdom, knowledge, and sometimes just a good yarn. But a busy pastor can find it hard to find the time to sit down and enjoy a good book. And how do you decide which book to read? We’re here to help! We have compiled a list of our top reads for busy...
by Scott Bullock | Dec 19, 2023 | Christmas
Getting in the Mood for Christmas Christmas movies do a variety of things: get us in the mood for the season, connect us with family, and entertain us. Alongside the stockings, fir tree, and nativity set, A Charlie Brown Christmas was an annual viewing tradition in my...
by Aaron Schweizer | Dec 12, 2023 | Gratitude, Sacrifice, Stewardship
As a five-year-old at Christmas I remember how excited I was to get my first bike. It was a yellow BMX Huffy, a mean machine for a kid in the late 70s. It is one of my fondest memories because I remember my dad teaching me to ride, although I admit I was more than...
by Leslie Leyland Fields | Dec 5, 2023 | Christmas
Christmas is Over It’s Christmas morning, not yet light. I am ten years old, creeping down the stairs, and I am full of hope. My siblings and I were told there will be no Christmas. Our mother told us. She always tells the truth. But I believe in more than truth. Once...
by Priscilla Pope-Levison | Nov 28, 2023 | Worship
At work, I am more than just a nurse. I am the hands and feet of God. … I am trying to be family to them. Faith is giving me strength to do that. The congregational response to this young woman’s testimony, spoken during an online worship service in the first months...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Nov 21, 2023 | Reviews
Who is David Beckham? Is he the self-absorbed, fame-seeking, Calvin Klein underwear model, husband of a former Spice Girl, always looking to be the center of attention? Or is he something else? Were the snapshots and the soundbites on television and the internet fair...
by Alan Fadling | Nov 14, 2023 | Spiritual Formation
Have you ever been talking with someone, and as they listened, you felt like you were the only person in the room? The listener had no sense of needing to be elsewhere. They had no sense of needing to interrupt you. They simply listened. How did that feel? On the...
by Bill Rowley | Nov 13, 2023 | Liturgy, Peace, Prayer
Prayer Service for Peace in Israel and Palestine This service is designed as an evening, outdoor prayer vigil using handheld candles. Feel free to modify the order of worship as needed, including for use as an indoor service. Service calls for five large candles for...
by Tish Harrison Warren | Nov 7, 2023 | Advent
Blog post adapted from Advent: The Season of Hope by Tish Harrison Warren. Adapted from Chapter 1, “Yearning, Three Advents of Christ,” reproduced with permission from IVP. As the calendar year winds down, as the days darken and grow short, as Christmas songs...
by Danielle Mellema | Oct 31, 2023 | Family, Parenting
Over the past few years, I’ve often heard parenting and child development experts offer the charge: “Give your kids a childhood they don’t have to heal from.” I’ve heard its echoes even in my own community and in the Church. I understand what they’re trying to say....
