By Bill Leonard Just when I think we have nothing in common with the people of the New Testament I show up in an emergency room. I’ve been there several times recently, not for my own needs (yet), but with…
Emergency rooms
By Bill Leonard Just when I think we have nothing in common with the people of the New Testament I show up in an emergency room. I’ve been there several times recently, not for my own needs (yet), but with…
How to welcome a new pastor to your church
When Beth McConnell was being introduced to our congregation as our new pastor, someone asked her what we could do to make her transition easier. Beth is too humble to give you this list. Over the decades, I have given…
Forever Changed #18: the journey home
This is my last writing to you as I will be replaced this week and begin to transition home. I have been trying to figure out what to write on this last report. So here goes… As I reflect on…
A responsible nation
By Fred Anderson For 300 years after the first permanent English settlement on its eastern seaboard, the United States had an open frontier looking west. Venturesome pioneers who occupied the new land faced conditions which made the possession of firearms…
What Battlestar Galactica taught me about faith
For the past two weeks, my wife and I have been on maternity leave. To help pass the time, we signed up for a free, one-month subscription to Netflix and started watching (of all things) Battlestar Galactica. If you were…
A unique ordination
By Bruce Day My wife and I recently visited a church that happened to be celebrating deacon installation and ordination. Three deacons had been elected by the church to serve the next term. Though it appeared to be business as…
My Christmas Eve epiphany
I have been driven to a startling conclusion: the God who burns with compassion for the outcast is our salvation. That simple message fueled the ministry of Jesus. Jesus’ solidarity with the poor wasn’t stressed much in the churches I…
The gift of uncertainty
By Brandon Hudson I’m kind of a sucker for New Year’s. I love the idea that there is built into our calendar an annual “reset.” Even if I’ve had a pretty good year the year before, I always enjoy the…