The hospital waiting room on the fourth floor at Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center in Anniston was empty and quiet. The only sounds were the dinging of the elevator in the distance and the clanging of the food cart as…
Gaining perspective from afar
By Molly T. Marshall Over the past two weeks, I have read of Miley’s shenanigans, the lawsuit on NFL concussions and the possibility that the U.S. might use military force in Syria — all from the perspective of the Bangkok…
Clergy discouragement and satisfaction: part two
In my last post, I covered five factors that contribute to clergy discouragement. Now I want to turn to the other side of the story: clergy satisfaction. I believe six habits fuel legitimate clergy satisfaction. Worship the God we preach,…
Back to school means back to worrying
By Kris Aaron That groan you hear comes from millions of students and their teachers as summer comes to a close and a new school year begins. As final preparations for the new school year are made, students make sure…
Public policy and the heart of God
For the past 15 years, I have directed a faith-based non-profit called Friends of Justice. It all started in Tulia, Texas when a massive drug bust in the summer of 1999 inspired an article in the local paper about human…
Grieving summer: a Havdalah
For many people, summer is a type of Sabbath: a slower pace; vacation; more interaction with neighbors as the warm weather invites people outside; a deliberate pause between academic years. Even people whose lives do not operate solely on an…
Does your church need Millennials?
By Emily Hull McGee National news media outlets have been peppered recently with reports and opinions on the churchgoing habits of Millennials. Bloggers have rightly identified why this 18- to 35-year-old demographic is leaving churches of all stripes, citing a…
Does your church need Millennials?
By Emily Hull McGee National news media outlets have been peppered recently with reports and opinions on the churchgoing habits of Millennials. Bloggers have rightly identified why this 18-35 year-old demographic is leaving churches of all stripes, citing a need…
Why does Robin Thicke earn a “Get Out of Jail Free” card?
I am proud to say that I have not watched any kind of awards show since we tuned the old LeGrand console television to the Grammys in 1983, so that my sister and I could watch Michael Jackson do the…