By Bill Leonard Each January for the last three years I’ve joined a group of students in visiting the Haywood Street Congregation in Asheville, N.C., and each time we’ve gotten a taste of God’s New Community (aka the Kingdom of…
Lord, give us a bishop
Looking over the landscape of Baptist churches, there are days when we might rightly cry out, “Lord, give us a bishop!” Too often, churches use their full autonomous rights to make awful hiring decisions. Not all the time, but not…
Epiphany: why Jesus talked about children and we should too
Epiphany and the path to common ground I learned about the season of Epiphany from the book of Daily Office Bible readings I stole from the Episcopalians some thirty years ago. First, I wondered why the advent readings focused on…
Imagining our best selves
By Amy Butler I freely admit that, along with the rest of the world, I stood in line to join the gym last week. I could offer many (valid, in my opinion) explanations for why I didn’t join the gym…
Andraé Crouch, Expensive Pianos, and Church Priorities
Unless I slept walked through it, I never had the chance to see Andraé Crouch perform live. I heard plenty of his music. But I was never in his presence. I have been places where he performed, but only years…
‘Selma’ reveals a Martin Luther King who struggled with both the system and himself
There are few movies that should be required viewing. Most movies are merely candy we consume quickly and forget. But there comes a time when a movie rises above those confectionary tomes and becomes something much more. Selma is such…
Vulnerability in the Body of Christ
By Aileen Lawrimore What’s the deadline for New Year’s resolutions? I mean, are we supposed to be all resolute before the ball drops or do we have until, say, Feb. 1? The reason I’ve not written my resolutions yet is…
What happened on the way to my funeral
Facing a new year, many of us reflect on our lives. You may be shocked that I would suggest that we talk about death, but after years of training in pastoral care in seminary and Clinical Pastoral Education, and more…
The spiritual practice of running the race
By Jayne Davis “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”— Hebrews 12:1b Running a 5K on the first weekend in January is not ideal, even in the South. It can be a bit brisk, to…
What to do when your Christian education ministry needs a boost
Christian education ministry was held in high esteem in denominations and churches from the 1950s to 1970s. In the mid 1970s traditional Sunday schools began to experience decline in participation during traditional time slots. Small groups emerged at different times and…
Gaining theological heft
By Molly T. Marshall This time of year is a “come to Jesus” season for many of us as we assess our need for better health, which usually includes weight loss for the more sedentary among us. We weigh hopes…
‘Unbroken’ is expansive and timely as the nation debates torture
Laura Hillenbrand published the life story of Louie Zamperini in November of 2010. It has remained on the best sellers list since its publication. People have fallen in love with the story of resilience and redemption of a juvenile delinquent…