One recent magical Saturday night I shared in a banquet in Charlottesville, Va. The food, table and company were gathered in celebration of creativity, imagination and art as spiritual practice. Tables were decorated with simple butcher paper painted with splashes…
OUT LOUD
“Christianity is a faith and not a musical genre.” Chad Butler The drummer in the band Switchfoot was discussing with the Dallas Observer the group's reluctance to describe themselves as a “Christian band.” “An alternate name and the election of…
VITAL SIGNS: Our hidden addiction
You know all too well that our society is prone to addictions. We do nearly everything to excess. Not just the obvious culprits: alcohol, gambling, pain-killers, sex, work. There are a multitude of things which, done in moderation, are life-giving…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Understand, don’t underestimate, investments
The term “investments” can be a scary thing for churches. With the crash and continued volatility of the stock market still fresh on your budget’s bottom line, investing may seem impossible or imprudent. And let’s be honest—if there is no…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Ministers, growing spiritually and relying on God
How do people in ministry remember that they, too, are children of God when there are so many pressures to respond first to the needs of others? How do ministers (of all kinds) learn to seek their strength primarily from…
HeraldBeat
GOT NEWS? Send information for this page to HeraldBeat editor Barbara Francis at [email protected]. Even better — add the Herald to your church’s newsletter email list, send us a link to your online newsletter or mail your newsletter to 2828…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Resources for spiritual formation
How do people in ministry remember that they, too, are children of God when there are so many pressures to respond first to the needs of others? Here are resources for spiritual formation in the Mid-Atlantic region. To read related…
HERITAGE: Shapers of Baptist thought
In about 1870 two old men were making conversation and one asked the other who among Baptists might be remembered a hundred years later. Each man named the other. Fifty years earlier, as young men, they had been energetic preacher-boys…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Four things followers want from their leaders
Lawrence had been struggling for days. He just wanted some insight into how the leadership team could have come to him. Yes, he had been a faithful member of the church for years, but any thought of joining the ranks…
EDITORIAL: The birds and the bees have escaped
As anyone who has read the Bible, or for that matter, Homer, knows, interest in and concern over sexuality has been around for a long time. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that a [Baptist] Conference on Sexuality and…
TRENDING: Three changing skill sets for preachers
What is trending from the pulpit? Here are three current indications that might inform your preaching. 1. Charismatic leadership wanes; transformational leadership waxes. John Chandler By “charismatic,” I don’t mean Pentecostal theology, but charisma-fueled ability to captivate large groups. In a…
WMU of NC to leave Raleigh, relocate in Lillington
RIDGECREST, N.C.—Woman’s Missionary Union of North Carolina will move its headquarters from Raleigh to an office building in Lillington recently donated to the mission organization. The relocation to Lillington—about 40 miles south of Raleigh—will save WMUNC about $70,000, said acting…