by Michelle Ferrigno-Warren | May 9, 2023 | Justice
Injustice is not okay. In recent years, people have been waking up, some for the first time to the reality that systems do not work for everyone, that civic engagement is important and that leadership is needed to unite a divided people. Throughout history the fight...
by Daniel Korneychuk | May 2, 2023 | Liturgy, Worship
The foundations of my Christian faith were laid in mid-20th century fundamentalist churches. For introducing me to Jesus, I am grateful. However, over the years I have had to cast aside and recover from some of the other teachings I received there. One of these is the...
by Scott Bullock | Apr 25, 2023 | Baptism, Children
The 2023 survey that was conducted by the Wall Street Journal in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago found that only 39% of the 1000 adults polled deemed religion “very important” to them compared to the 62% from a similar study in 1998. Within the...
by Dan Baumgartner | Apr 21, 2023 | Busyness, Ministry, Work
I might not be the best person to be writing this. After an eleven-year career in business in my twenties and early thirties, I’ve been an ordained pastor now for nearly twenty-seven years. There are two phrases heavily used in ministry circles that drive me crazy–...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Apr 11, 2023 | Movie Reviews
(Spoiler Alert: This review contains some minor spoilers about the plot of The Fabelmans.) Storytelling is a bit like fire…powerful, captivating even, but also, extremely dangerous. Telling a personal story, one that involves your own family, well, the stakes are even...
by Bill Rowley | Apr 7, 2023 | Easter, Good Friday, Holy Week
The Easter Sermon of John Chrysostom (344-407) Bishop of Constantinople and Doctor of the Church Is there anyone who is a devout lover of God? Let us enjoy this beautiful bright festival! Is there anyone who is a grateful servant? Let us rejoice and enter into the joy...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Apr 5, 2023 | Good Friday, Holy Week, Pain
Do you remember the first time someone explained to you the concept of “Good Friday?” I remember my own mother explaining how it was possible that Jesus’ death was “good,” not because torture and suffering were good, but because his death enabled us to live in...
by Mark Roberts | Apr 3, 2023 | Third Third of Life
Earlier this month Michelle Yeoh won the Best Actress Academy Award for her work in the film Everything Everywhere All at Once. In her moving acceptance speech, she said, “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope...
by Alan Fadling | Mar 30, 2023 | Prayer, Spiritual Formation, Uncategorized
I’m not the first to say it, but Jesus is an absolute genius. I remembered this yet again in a recent conversation with a Christian leader with whom I meet regularly. We were talking about how one of the challenges for Christian leaders is ending up with a utilitarian...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Mar 21, 2023 | Parables, Preaching, Storytelling, The Founder's Desk
Most Christians have some idea of what a parable is. Ask an adult Sunday school class and you might hear: “It’s a story!” Another might chime in, “with a moral message!” But the truth is, parables are a very special kind of story with a few key features. And unless we...
